


Prom Night

by aqueenofokay



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: High School AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-20 07:18:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 49,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aqueenofokay/pseuds/aqueenofokay
Summary: Summer and freedom from high school are just around the corner. Murder and monsters should be the last thing on Evan's mind but when confronted with his worst fears, Evan and his band of friends must take matters into their own hands.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know that I said I was going to do 'King of the Kill' but I ran into some problems with plot so I'm taking some time away from it. I ran a poll on my twitter between this story and another au that I plan to do and this one won!! Thank you so much to everyone who voted! It was super close!  
> I'm so excited about this story! I'm very excited to get back into writing horror and I plan to scare you with this one! Prom Night is inspired by 'IT'! It also has some tributes to some of my favourite horror stories/films.  
> I hope that you guys enjoy the fic!!! Thank you so much for the support Petals received, it was amazing! Thank you so much <3 I hope you like 'Prom Night' just as much!!

There wasn’t a cloud in the soft blue June sky. Tall oak trees lining the quiet streets reached for the sunlight. Kids road down those oak tree lined streets on bikes, others played in the driveways of their homes, their high pitched screams and laughs echoing off the houses.

The evening sun sank lower towards the long horizon.

Parents called their children in for dinner; neatly made meals on colourful plastic plates, juice in matching plastic cups, utensils held in small fists, older siblings checking the time, avoiding conversations about school with their mothers.

After dinner, those children would run into their living room to play video games or up the stairs to their rooms to create adventures for their action figures or stay at the table, trying to do their math homework with help from their mother who hasn't done math like this in years. Some of them returned outside to soak up the last of the day’s sunlight. One of these children, a boy named Lui, had jumped from his rickety wooden chair at the rickety wooden dining room table as soon as he finished his last bite, running towards the front door.

“Half an hour, Lui!” His mother called after him. “Don’t make me come looking for you this time!” The screen door slammed shut. Lui hurried down the old front porch steps to the sidewalk. He picked up his little red bike and got on, pedalling down the cement. The cool early summer air whipped around him as he passed the neatly kept lawns of the neatly kept homes.

There was only one home that was not so neatly kept. Lui pedalled faster as he went past it. Its windows were boarded, it’s lawn overgrown, it’s paint peeling. Last year, on an evening just like this, he remembered seeing more police cars than he ever had out front of this house. He remembered playing with the boy that lived there.  “Stay away from that house,” His mother had told him after that night. He listened.

He continued around the corner, seeing the brightly coloured playground at the end of the street. Some older kids had ripped off one of the ‘e’s on the street sign, making it say ‘stret’. They had drawn some other things on the sign, making the parents in the neighbourhood angry. Lui didn’t care; he didn’t understand what they were yet.

Beyond the playground lay the woods. He had gone on walks through the green forest before with his mom, his eyes on the green leafy ceiling above him.

No one was at the playground this evening.

He smiled. He had it to himself. He left his bike at the edge of the sandbox. He climbed up the bright yellow slide, looking out over his kingdom. He smiled, going down the slide. He ran back up it and slid back down. He ran through the sand towards the green ladder, climbing up it.

Overhead, the sky had turned a soft orange colour. Lui couldn’t wait for summer. He could play outside for as long as he wanted during the summer.

He went down the slide again before climbing back up.

Lui stopped. He stared at the road that he had come down.

The air was still.

The little boy continued to stare at the road.

He couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t move.

He simply stared.

“M-Mom!” He called out, hoping that somehow, she would hear him and come running to him like she did when he was certain he had seen his closet door creak open, certain he had seen a gnarled, clawed hand reach out, black nails glinting in the orange light. He would sit up at night, watching the door that was illuminated by the soft orange glow of his nightlight. He was certain it was going to open at any moment, the fear hurting his chest. “Mom?” He called out again.

He took a sudden step back, towards the slide.

He had to run.

He had to run now.

Lui jumped from the top of the ladder, sand flying up around him as he landed harshly his knees. His knees and palms of his hands stung. He got up, tears in his eyes as he started running towards the woods.

His little lungs heaved for air.

He kept running, not looking back over his shoulder.

A gnarled, clawed hand suddenly grabbed the boy’s arm. Black nails glinted in the dim evening light.

The boy’s bloodcurdling scream echoed through the cool, evening air.

 

“If you don’t do it, you aren’t our friend anymore.”

“Fitz, please.”

“Oh my god, have you seen how hot she is?”

“Ugh...I really shouldn’t be here, I got so much shit to do. I have a math test tomorrow!”

“You’re fucked.”

“Is there a plain juice version of this?”

“Hey give me some of that.”

“Have you asked anyone to prom yet?”

“He was working this evening. I was too nervous to say hi. Do you think he’ll be here tonight?”

“Oh come on! What are you scared of?”

“John! What the hell are you doing?”

“Have you seen his new video? Oh my god!”

“I could really go for bacon pancakes right now…Is that diner still open?”

“You are rotted, you bitch.”

“There’s a fight in the kitchen!”

Young voices filled the air. Music blasted through old speakers. Bottles and red solo cups covered the counter space in the kitchen. The carpet in the living room already felt damp underfoot from spilt drinks. The white patio light illuminated the pool outside, the blue plastic slide creaking under the weight of drunk kids sliding down into the cold, blue water. Others watched from the bare pool deck, smoke rising from their cigarettes and joints. Inside, teenagers gossiped in small groups or drunkenly danced in the living room to songs about lifestyles they’ll never live if they stay in this town. The living room was illuminated with an orange glow from the few lamps and cheap colourful lanterns hung across the mantle. Upstairs, couples found privacy in bedrooms that weren’t theirs, on beds that weren’t theirs.

Sitting on the old couch in the crowded living room was a young boy with dyed purple hair. He still hadn’t heard the last of it from his dad about it. In his hand was a red solo cup, a fruity, bitter tasting drink inside. The orange light reflected off his glasses. He took a sip of his drink, watching the teenagers around him. He watched as a young boy, younger than him by a few years, pushed his way through the crowd, sitting down suddenly beside him, spilling some of his drink.

“Fuck’s sake, Smitty,” The purple haired boy laughed. “You haven’t been drinking, have you?”

“Shut up, mom.” The younger boy snapped. “Do you know when Evan will get here?”

“I don’t know. I heard he was working tonight.” The purple haired boy smiled. Smitty looked down at the couch, pulling at a loose string.

“Craig!” He looked up, seeing a tall boy and a shorter blonde boy with a beer bottle in his hand making their way over to him. “We weren’t gonna invite you if you were just going to sit on the couch all night.” The tall boy laughed.

“I’ll move at some point.” Craig laughed. “Maybe when Tyler gets here, we’ll throw him in the pool.”

“That’s how you get punched, Craig.” The blonde boy smiled. Craig smiled, taking a sip of his drink.

“That’s how you get punched, Brian.” Craig pointed out. Daithi smiled. A loud yell suddenly rang through the smokey air. The boys turned, watching one of their friends run shirtless through the crowd out into the backyard, cannonballing into the swimming pool, making the girls standing on the pool deck scream.

“Can someone cut Anthony off?” Craig called out.

“Shut up, mom!” Brian, Smitty and Daithi said, turning Craig’s cheeks as a red as his cup. The rumble of an engine took the attention away from Craig. Smitty got up quickly, pushing through the crowd towards the front door.

Out front, an old blue Ford pickup truck came to a stop out front of the house.

“One hour than can we go?”

“One hour.”

“Thank you.”

“You smell like french fries.” A smile spread on the blonde driver’s face. He smiled at the shorter boy that sat beside him, still dressed in the red and white collared shirt and black jeans he wore while working at the diner on Main street after school. It's the best place in town for a burger and a milkshake. Every night there would be a group of girls would flirt with the raven-haired boy who served them their strawberry milkshakes, a small, sweet smile on his face. That sweet smile would only get bigger when his best friend arrived, sitting down at the bar on one of the red stools under the pink neon lights.

“Is it bad?”

“No, you’re fine, Evan.”

“Thanks, Tyler.” Evan smiled, reaching for his vanilla milkshake spiked with Kahlua that he had put in the cup holder. He held it out to Tyler, letting him have a sip of the sweet shake before they got out of the truck, the blue doors slamming closed as the front door opened, music and orange light spilling out onto the lawn. Overhead, the night sky was a dark navy colour, only a few stars visible.

“Hi, Evan!” Smitty called out.

“Hi Smitty,” Evan smiled as he and Tyler walked up the front steps. “Aren’t you a little young to be at a party?”

“I’m not young. I’m fifteen.”

“Uh huh,” Evan smiled, rustling Smitty’s hair. “Don’t let me catch you with a drink.”

“I’ll be good,” Smitty said, looking up at Evan with wide eyes. He turned, hurrying back inside to the others who waved at Evan and Tyler as they walked inside.

“Smitty’s so sweet.” Evan smiled as they walked through the crowd towards the kitchen. He took a sip of his drink, glancing up at Tyler who scoffed.

“I think he has a crush on you.”

“On me?” Evan laughed.

“Everyone has a crush on you.”

“Everyone?”

“Well...almost everyone,” Tyler said with a smile, practically shoving a drunk kid out of the way of the punch bowl in the kitchen. He filled his cup and finished it all in a few gulps before filling it back up again. Evan smiled, sipping his milkshake.

His chest felt warm already.

He couldn’t handle his liquor like Tyler could. He could only have one drink before he started to feel a little bit funny. Once he had taken shots with Tyler, Craig and Brian while playing pool in Brian's basement. He couldn’t remember much after that, only that he had woken up early in the morning on the old couch in Brian's basement to find vulgar drawings in marker all over his face. He didn’t remember passing out. Tyler had laughed till he cried when Evan had woke him up, demanding to know what happened.

The two boys made their way over to the couch, Evan sitting down beside Craig, playfully stealing his drink to take a sip.

“You have a drink!” Craig laughed.

“I just wanted to try it.” Evan shrugged.

“How was work?” Daithi asked.

“Work.” Evan smiled, running a hand through his black hair. “We’re still having band practice on Saturday, right?”

“Yup.” Daithi nodded with a smile.

“Oh hey, Tyler...Brian here was talking about throwing you in the pool.” Craig said with a sly smile.

“No! That was Craig!” Brian cried. Tyler finished his drink.

“Is that so, Brian?”

“No!” Brian cried. “Craig’s an asshole!” Tyler laughed, setting his red cup down before he grabbed Brian who slapped him.

“Tyler!” Evan called out but made no move to stop him. The boys fell to the carpet, wrestling on the floor, cheered on by their friends. Tyler rolled over Brian, dragging him to his feet, hauling him through the crowd. “Oh no...He’s gonna do it.” Evan got up, his milkshake held tight in his hand as he hurried after them. He and the others reached the sliding glass door in time to watch Tyler throw Brian into the pool, water splashing onto the cement pool deck. Tyler cheered wildly. The boys laughed while Brian broke the surface, angrily splashing water at Tyler. Craig suddenly pushed past Evan, running towards Tyler. Tyler screamed as Craig tackled him into the pool.

“Fuck! Somebody called the cops!” Someone from inside yelled. Evan turned, seeing the flash of blue and red lights through the window. “Everybody out!” Evan hurried towards the edge of the pool, helping Tyler out before running around the side of the house in a crowd of other drunk teenagers. Smitty, his friend John and Daithi scrambled over a fence into the neighbouring yard. Tyler held onto Evan’s hand tightly as they ran back to the truck, giggling wildly. Police officers yelled at the kids, telling them to stop but no one did.

“Go! Go!” Evan cried as he and Tyler scrambled into the truck. There was a loud thump as Craig and Brian jumped into the back of the trunk, still sopping wet. Tyler put the keys in the ignition and stepped on the gas, the truck speeding down the quiet suburban street.

 

Evan’s alarm went off suddenly. The harsh ringing filled the small bedroom like the soft morning light that came in through the window. The boy groaned, pulling his pillow over his head.

“Evan! Time to get up!” His mom called out from down the stairs. “I hear your alarm!”

“I’m getting up!” Evan yelled back, his arm sticking out from under the blankets to turn the alarm off. He sighed, throwing his pillow to the floor as he sat up. His head hurt. He looked around his room, before slowly getting up. He got dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, pulling on clean white socks. He tossed the sweatpants and t-shirt he had slept in into the hamper.

He always kept his room tidy, he didn't like to leave things on the floor. His work uniform hung neatly over his chair by his desk. His textbooks and papers were in neat stacks. Tacked onto the corkboard above his desk were photos, letters of acceptance and offered scholarships. He had his choice of schools. On his bedside table was one letter of acceptance that he had yet to show his mom. She’d say no to a school like that. She’d say that his guitar and the music he wrote were just hobbies, not something to make a career out of.

Evan tucked his books and binders into his backpack, placing his work uniform in with them. He'd think about showing her the letter later.

He stood up, looking at one of the photos. It was of him and Tyler when they were ten, bright smiles riddled with missing teeth on their faces. They were inseparable, he’d heard his mother say. They had seen each other almost every single day since the first day of kindergarten. His mother told him that he had cried hysterically when they went on vacation for the first time because he couldn’t bring Tyler with him.

Evan smiled, pulling his school bag over his shoulder. He picked up his guitar case that was leaning against the wall and opened his door, hurrying down the stairs. His mother had left his breakfast for him on the table. She sat in her usual chair at the table, a crossword in front of her.

“What time did you get home last night?” His mother asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I donno...Late…”

“You know it was a school night, right?”

“I know, mom.”

“Don’t do it again, Evan. I don’t want you failing your last few classes.”

“I’m not gonna fail, mom.”

“What time are you coming home tonight?”

“I donno...I might crash at Tyler’s. We’re gonna practice tomorrow.”

“Well...Call me. Let me know. Or I’ll call Tyler’s mom.”

“Mom, I’m not gonna lie to you.”

“I hope not.” She said sharply. Evan took a deep, annoyed breath. He took a bite from his toast, his eyes on his plate. “Can you keep your eyes open today? The boy you tutored didn’t come last night.” His mother sighed. Evan’s brow furrowed.

“Lui?”

“His mother is frantic. Just be on the lookout today, okay?”

“Okay…” Evan’s eyes lowered to his plate. He remembered tutoring him last year, spending long hours sitting at his dining room table talking more about superheroes then math.

Worry settled over him.

Could it have happened again?

“Have you decided if you are going to go to prom yet? That’s in a week!” His mother cleared her throat

“I know. Maybe not, Tyler’s birthday is the next day so maybe-”

“I think you should go. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. I remember my prom…” The sound of a horn honking startled Evan. He sighed with relief, not wanting to sit here any longer. He quickly stuffed more of his breakfast into his mouth before getting up quickly, pulling his backpack on over his shoulders.

“I’ll call you later. Bye, mom!” Evan called out as he picked up his guitar case and ran for the front door. The door closed before she could say anything else. Evan hurried down the path to the road, the blue truck waiting for him. He tossed his stuff into the back before getting in, the door creaking loudly.

“Morning.” Tyler smiled. He handed a plastic coffee cup to Evan smiled, taking a sip.

“Ow! Fuck, ow!” Evan yelled as it burned his tongue. Tyler laughed.

“It’s hot, dude.”

“Asshole.” Evan laughed, setting the coffee down in the cup holder as the truck pulled away from the curve. Tyler smiled, turning the radio up. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. Evan’s dark eyes drifted to the window, watching the houses with their neat lawns and their neat facades and their neat cars and their neat families inside pass by. The truck turned, the coffee in Evan’s cup rippling. The truck drove past a house that did not have a neat lawn, a neat facade, a neat car or even a neat family. Evan stared at it. He remembered seeing the police cars, remembered hearing the whispers, the sobs, the gasps of horror.

Nothing ever happened here.

Until that night.

“What do you know about that place?” Evan had been asked at the diner over and over again by journalists who had come to the small town surrounded by flat, rolling wheat fields to get their big break writing about other people’s misfortunes. Evan always shrugged, he didn’t know much and what he did know, he didn’t want to think about.

“Are you okay, Evan? You seem quiet.” Tyler’s voice broke the silence.

“Fine. Just hungover.” Evan said, turning back in his seat to face the front. The warm early summer air coming in through Tyler’s rolled down window played with Evan’s black hair.

“Ev…” Tyler gave him a knowing glance.

“Lui went missing last night.”

“That kid you tutored?”

“Yeah...My mom said that he didn’t come home last night.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah.”

“It’ll be okay, Evan.” Tyler reached his right hand towards Evan, gently rubbing his shoulder. “He’ll be okay. Probably just got lost or something.”

“I hope so.” Evan sighed. Tyler gave him a reassuring smile.

It worked.

The truck continued on through quiet neighbourhoods towards the high school. The truck passed Craig and Daithi walking to school. It passed Smitty and John on their bikes, yelling at the truck as it went past. Tyler playfully shouted back at them through the open window. The truck pulled into the school parking lot. Evan jumped out, grabbing his stuff from the back. He walked with Tyler up the sidewalk to the front doors, grade nines shoving past them. When they noticed the blue, senior letterman jacket Tyler wore, they quickly hurried on their way, having heard stories of seniors beating up the freshmen from grade ten kids who just wanted to scare them. After the summer, after the seniors all moved away, those grade nines would be the ones telling the stories to the new kids.

“I’ll see you later.” Tyler smiled at Evan before stepping into his homeroom. Evan smiled, continuing down the hall.

The morning passed like it always did. Half an hour in homeroom for announcements, listening to an over the top announcement about prom and a rehearsal for the graduation ceremony. Sitting across from Evan was a boy named Marcel, his eyes on something he was drawing in his notebook.

After homeroom was biology with Craig, the two sitting beside each other, staring down at the frog in the tray in front of them.

“You do it first.” Craig pushed the scalpel into Evan’s hand.

“I don’t want to...You do it.” Evan pushed the sharp blade back towards Craig.

“I don’t wanna do it,” Craig whined. They went back and forth for a few moments before Evan finally sighed and took the knife, feeling sick to his stomach.

History followed biology. Sitting by the window, Evan wrote down notes, his brain mostly on autopilot as he wrote down names and dates.

“This will be on the exam so make sure to remember it!” His teacher reminded the class. A couple kids sighed.

When the bell rang, they quickly gathered up their notes and textbooks, stuffing them into their bags. Kids flooded the halls. Lockers slammed. The line in the cafeteria for lunch grew. Tyler found Evan as he was heading towards the cafeteria. Evan soon found himself back in Tyler’s truck, watching the quiet neighbourhoods pass by like he had that morning. In his hand was a red and blue slushie, a plastic bag full of candy and other snacks at his feet. The truck pulled into the parking lot of an empty playground. Evan smiled when he saw the sign with it’s missing ‘e’. He and Tyler had done that last year, drunk, at three in the morning. They thought it was hilarious at the time.

The two boys got out of the truck, walking towards the woods. They ignored the main path, heading towards one that looked more like a deer trail. Stilling hanging off the branches were the red ribbons that Tyler and Evan had tied there when they were children, not wanting to forget where their special hideaway spot was. Now they went there to smoke, drink and talk, not to pretend that they were soldiers or adventurers.

Evan wished they could still play like that sometimes.

Leading the way, Evan kept his eyes on the lush, green path. Tyler was close behind. The plastic bag in Evan’s right hand swung back and forth. Birds sang. The sunlight rippled through the green leaves of the trees.

Just off the path, there was blood on the grass.

Evan suddenly stopped.

The bag dropped from his hand.

His grip on the cherry red slushie in his other hand tightened.

“Evan?” Tyler slowly stepped around him then stopped.

There was a disembodied arm laying on the path.

It was a small arm, a boy’s.

It was covered with blood.

Evan slowly raised his gaze to the path in front of him. “Holy fuck…” Tyler stammered. “I’m gonna get help. Don’t move.” Tyler turned, running back the way he had come. Evan couldn’t move, even if he wanted to.

Laying just off the path was the body of a boy who hadn’t come home last night, a boy who Evan had tutored, a boy who had just wanted to play at the playground.  

Something had eaten him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the support the first chapter got!!! I'm so excited about this fic!!! I hope you enjoy the chapter!!

“And what were you doing in the woods?”

“We were going to this spot that we always go to...to have lunch. Just follow the red ribbons, you’ll find the spot.”

“So you were skipping class? Do you have any alcohol or drugs on you?”

“No! And so what if we were skipping? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do your parents know you were skipping?”

“N-No.”

“I see. So you found the boy’s body a little ways into the woods?”

“Yes...Evan saw the arm first…” Tyler’s words drifted away as he walked with the police officer back towards the playground. Dark eyes filled with tears watched them. Sitting in the truck, the passenger door open, his feet dangling over the side, Evan stared at the playground.

His stomach rolled.

His hands shook.

He heard crying.

His head slowly turned, his dark eyes landing on Lui’s mother who leaned against a police car, her hands over her face. He prayed that she wouldn’t talk to him for he could think of nothing to say other than that he was sorry. Sorry for finding the torn apart body of her boy, sorry for not being able to do anything other than calling the police, sorry for only helping Lui get a B in math, not an A like she wanted.

Evan lowered his eyes down to the gravel. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He wanted to forget about the small, bloody arm still wrapped in the orange sleeve of the jacket that Lui had been wearing. He wanted to forget about the bloody grass.

The sound of footsteps on the gravel made Evan look up. Tyler marched towards him, his face dark with anger. Evan hated it when Tyler was angry; it scared him. “Fucking cops.” Tyler hissed as he reached the truck. “He threatened to tell our parents we were skipping for no reason other than that we were skipping. Like that is what is important right now.”

“Do they know what happened to him?” Evan asked quietly.

“They think a bear or coyote attacked him.” Tyler sighed. Evan’s brow furrowed. There weren’t bears around here and a coyote would not have gone after an eight-year-old boy. “We should get going. I can drop you off at your place if you want?” Tyler asked softly, his bright eyes on Evan. Concern clouded his face as he took in Evan’s distant dark eyes and pale cheeks.

Evan began to answer him but the sound of an engine rumbling drowned him out. Evan turned, looking through the back window to see an old black sports car slowly coming to a stop by the truck. “Fuck. Let's get out of here.” Tyler started around the back of the truck. Evan closed his eyes. He heard a car door slam and a few moments later, the sound of gravel being kicked up and Tyler swearing.

“What did you do this time, huh Tyler? Get caught with drugs you stole from your big brother again?” A harsh voice demanded.

“Fuck off, Jonathan.”

“Aw, are you gonna cry?”

“I said fuck off. I’m not in the mood for this.”

“Just tell us what happened. We’re curious is all.” Another voice taunted Tyler.

“Go away.”

“Is that pretty boy? Why don’t we ask him?”

“Leave him alone!”

Evan opened his eyes as a tall boy suddenly grabbed the open truck door beside Evan, making him jump. Evan looked up at the boy, his blue hood pulled over his face. Evan clenched his jaw. Jonathan and his friends had been a menace to the town for as long as Evan could remember; cutting girl's pigtails, beating up grade nines, stealing lunch money, smashing mailboxes. It only got worse as they got older.

“Hey, pretty boy. What happened?” Jonathan smiled.

“Nothing…” Evan whispered.

“Nothing? Doesn’t look like nothing.” Another boy in a grey sweatshirt laughed from where he stood by Tyler whose hands had curled into fists. The boy in grey was Ryan, a kid in their grade who followed Jonathan around like a lost dog.

Tyler wanted to punch him.

“Come on, what happened, pretty boy?” Jonathan taunted. “What’s got you looking so pale? Do you need a milkshake to cheer you up? Put a little cherry on top?” He reached forward to flick Evan’s forehead with his sharp fingernail. Evan suddenly grabbed Jonathan’s wrist, shoving the taller boy back as he got up. Jonathan yanked his wrist away and grabbed Evan’s hoodie, throwing him down to the gravel. Tyler started to lunge forward only to be stopped by Ryan who laughed at him.

“Jonathan!” Another voice called out. By the black car was an older boy in a red hoodie; Luke. He had graduated the year before but hadn’t gone anywhere or done anything other than torment the kids in town with his younger friends. Jonathan looked up, noticing a few police officers were looking at them.

“You got lucky this time, pretty boy. Next time you’ll really get it.” Jonathan spat on Evan as he struggled to get up, his palms cut open, dirt and pieces of gravel lodged in his skin. Jonathan and Ryan stomped back to their car, shoving Tyler out of the way as they passed him.

“Fuckers. I’m gonna kick their teeth in one of these days.” Tyler snarled as he helped Evan to his feet. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Evan sighed, his eyes on his bloody palms.

“Let me take you home.”

“No. I have to work this evening...Drop me off there.”

“Are you sure?” Tyler sighed. Evan nodded. “Okay.” He helped Evan into the truck, closing the passenger door before walking around to the driver’s side. He was quiet as he got in, starting the truck. They said nothing as they drove through the quiet neighbourhoods towards Main street, which consisted of only a few blocks that could be considered the downtown core of the small town. In the distance loomed the ageing water tower, the town’s name written in fading red cursive letters running around it. Along Main street ran the river, the bank covered with bushes, rocks and litter. The environmental club at school always tried to clean it up every spring but it didn’t last long. Cigarette butts, pop cans, beer bottles, chip bags, burger wrappers, coffee cups, they all found their way to the river banks. On the other side of the river were the newer houses, the new mall, the new movie theatre. Beyond the new houses were fields, wheat, barley, flax. They stretched towards the blue horizon, seeming endless.

To boys like Tyler and Evan, it sometimes felt like there was nothing else in the world but this small town and the empty fields that surrounded it, no escape in sight.

The truck came to a stop out front of the diner. It’s red and blue neon signs hanging in the window buzzed. Evan checked the time; 2:45. He was incredibly early for his shift but he didn’t want to go home, didn’t want to sit in silence, didn’t want to force a conversation, didn’t want to go back to the school. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Tyler asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

“Yeah...Can you pick me up afterwards? I’ll sleepover tonight.” Evan said, looking up at Tyler who smiled.

“Sounds good. I’ll be here.” Tyler said. The two boys stared at each other. For a moment, Evan forgot about his stinging, bleeding hands, even forgot about the horror they found in the woods. It was just Tyler, surrounded with a soft, red neon glow from the lights behind him. Evan’s hand crept across the old grey leather seat towards Tyler but he stopped himself before he could touch him.

“I’ll see you later.” Evan croaked out.

“See you later.” Tyler smiled. Evan tore his gaze away from Tyler and got out of the truck, the door creaking as he opened it.

“Oh...Do you think you could go back to the school to get my guitar?” Evan asked.

“Yeah, sure. We can play later.”

“I’d like that,” Evan said. He closed the door, grabbing his backpack from the back. He waved at Tyler as he walked to the door, the warmth and delicious smells surrounded him as he stepped inside. The old blue truck stayed for a moment longer out front the diner before starting down the road. Evan stuffed his hands into his hoodie’s pockets so no one would see the blood. He nodded to the waitress who worked the day shift, her eyebrows raising when she checked her watch.

“What are you doing here so early?”

“I had nothing else to do.”

“Is school out already?” She asked. Evan said nothing, continuing to the small back room where the staff kept their things. Evan passed the kitchen, one of the chefs stepping out of the storage room on the far side of the brightly lit room, a box in his hands.

He opened the door to the back room, the white light flickering on. He opened his small locker, stuffing his bag inside. He pulled out his uniform and slipped into the small bathroom to change. He washed his bloody hands, watching the water turn a shade of dark pink as it ran down the drain. The bleeding had stopped. He prayed he wouldn’t get hot pepper juice or pepper in his cuts this shift, that was the last thing he needed today.

The white light above the mirror buzzed.

He took off his hoodie, pulling on the red and white button-up shirt. His fingers fumbled with the buttons.

Evan met his reflection’s distant gaze. The memory of the boy’s dismembered arm laying among the grass flashed through his mind. A wave of nausea rolled over him. He gripped the edges of the sink. He couldn’t work like this, couldn’t talk to people like this.

He had to.

Evan took a deep breath.

His knuckles were white as his grip on the edges of the sink tightened.

Evan forced a smile onto his face.

 

The high school’s parking lot was empty when the blue truck drove into it for the second time that day. The bright blue sky had become overcast, a bright grey light washing over the small town. A faint metallic, ringing sound filled the air as Tyler got out of his truck. He heard a boy’s yell echo through the warm summer air. He closed the door and followed the ringing sound around the school. By the thin green portables at the back of the school were a couple of tetherball poles. Around one of these poles were a group of kids. Tyler smiled, walking over to them.

“You can hit it higher, Smitty,” Tyler said as he approached them. Smitty turned, the yellow ball flying around the pole. John, the boy on the other side of the pole suddenly hit, sending it flying back the other way. Smitty jumped for it, but Tyler easily hit it first, sending the ball back towards John.

“Hey, we’re not playing teams, Tyler!” John yelled. Tyler laughed, stepping back, his hands up innocently. He glanced at the two other boys that were sitting on the pavement. One of them was Fitz, a grade nine kid like Smitty with the sharpest tongue Tyler had ever heard. Nothing got past him. The other, Tyler couldn’t remember his name but he had heard Smitty and the others jokingly call him ‘Swagger’ a few times. Fitz looked up at Tyler then away quickly, his eyes on the pavement. He looked nervous for once.

“Are you okay?” Tyler found himself asking the younger boy.

“Fitz saw some kid run screaming out of the boy’s bathroom upstairs a little while ago,” John answered for him.

“What?” Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Fitz said quietly. “He was freaking out...Like really freaking out. I-I went in there to see why but there was nothing...there was nobody in there. I had been thinking maybe that asshole Jonathan and his friend were in there...and I shouldn’t have gone in there cause they would have beaten me up too but I was curious and...nervous...But I went in and there was nothing in there. The kid was screaming like he saw a Jason or something!” Fitz explained. Tyler’s eyes were locked on Fitz, but his mind was on the dead boy in the woods.

The yellow tetherball swung around rusting pole, the ringing metallic sound filling the warm air.  

“Maybe it was a mouse,” Tyler said, trying to reassure the boy. “Try not to worry too much about it.” Fitz nodded but Tyler doubted that he wouldn’t worry. He looked away from the younger boy, his icy eyes landing on the brick building. “You guys be safe, okay?”

“We will,” John said, his eyes on the yellow ball. Smitty nodded. Content with that, Tyler started towards the school. He walked up the cement steps to the door, glancing over his shoulder at the four younger boys before stepping inside.

The halls were empty, the white light reflecting off the polished floor. He started down the hall. He knew he should keep going straight, towards the music room at the other end of the school where Evan kept his guitar during classes, but instead, he turned left and headed up the stairs to the second floor. He reached the top of the stairs, finding nothing but an empty hallway lined with green lockers. He made his way slowly down the hall, hating the way his sneakers squeaked loudly on the floor. He peered into dark, empty classrooms, seeing stacked chairs and empty desks.

He finally came to a stop in front of the door to the boy’s bathroom. He reached his hand forward, pushing the door open. His sneakers squeaked across the white tile floor as he slowly moved inside the room.

There was nothing.

Graffiti covered the inside of the green stalls. The sinks were a pearly white in the light. The mirrors reflected the empty bathroom. Tyler’s reflection crossed the first mirror. Fitz was right. There was nothing in here. “Just a mouse…” Tyler whispered.

His bright eyes turned towards the third mirror. Slowly, Tyler stepped towards it.

He stopped in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection.

He blinked and so did the reflection.

Tyler stared his reflection which stared back at him.

Tyler blinked.

His reflection did not.

Tyler couldn’t move.

His reflection’s lips pulled into a smile, revealing sharp teeth.

Tyler tried to pull his hands off the sink but they wouldn’t budge.

His reflection began to lean forward as if it would come out of the mirror.

Tyler screamed, his hands suddenly free. He fell backwards, slamming against the stall door behind him. He turned away from the mirror, sprinting towards the door which he yanked open and sprinted down the hall towards the stairs, not daring to look back.

 

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon. In between carrying loaded plates of fries and burgers, cups of milkshakes with bright red cherries on top and bottles of beer to truckers passing through, the boy in the red and white uniform would glance out the window illuminated with red neon light and wish that he could chase the sun towards the horizon. He wanted to go somewhere without dead kids, without people like Jonathan and his violent friends. He wanted to go to a place somewhere far away, somewhere warm year around, somewhere where he had nothing to fear. He had spent countless hours the past few weeks with a map, figuring out which university that had accepted him was the farthest away from this town. None of them seemed far enough.

Evan checked the clock hanging above the bar before bringing the last customer his check; 9:05. He couldn’t wait to turn off the open sign and be alone for once today. Once the kitchen staff had finished cleaning up the kitchen and the prep for the morning, it was up to Evan to finish cleaning the front and closing the restaurant. He had been working here for just over a year and had earned the trust of the owner, an elderly woman who had opened the restaurant almost ten years ago.

“Have any plans for the rest of your evening?” Evan asked while the man paid for his late dinner.

“Getting back to work.” The man said gruffly. Evan opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't think of anything. The man looked Evan over before getting up, pulling on his jacket. Evan wished him a good night as he left the diner. He hadn’t a left a tip. Evan rolled his eyes as he strode over to the door, turning off the neon open sign. He cleared the last of the dishes away, bringing them to the kitchen before heading back to the dining room, putting the chairs up on the tables and wiping down the bar.

“Have a nice night.” One of the kitchen staff members said as they headed out, having finished before Evan did. Evan smiled, looking up from the coffee mugs he had been putting back in their place by the coffee machines.

“You too,” Evan said. Evan waited until the door had closed before hurrying over to the stereo they kept under the bar, putting on his music. The music filled the restaurant. Evan slid across the polished floor, grabbing a mop. “Well now, I must admit…” He sang along, his hips swaying in time to the music. “Any of these thoughts racin’ through my brain, it’s true…” He danced across the floor, holding the mop as if it were his guitar. “Baby, I’m howlin for you!” His black hair fell over his face as his head rocked in time to the music. He threw the mop down as he laid back on one of the tables, running his hands up his chest to his throat. “Swing and miss and catcher’s mitt, strike two...Baby, I’m howlin for you…” He pushed himself off the table and picked up the mop, spinning across the floor as he pretended to play the guitar with the mop, the neon lights casting him in a red glow.

The sudden sound of something falling in the kitchen made Evan jump.

He turned the stereo off, his eyes on the small window to the kitchen. Through the pots and pans, he could see that the storage room door was open, the light on. Evan’s brow furrowed. He leaned the mop against the bar, slowly moving towards the kitchen door. The kitchen was dimly illuminated by the light in the storage room. A box had fallen from one of the shelves. Evan glanced around the kitchen.

He was the only one in the restaurant.

The boy slowly made his way towards the storage room. He picked up the box. The storage room was empty. “It’s just this whole Lui thing...I need to sleep.” Evan sighed. He put the box back on the shelf and turned off the light.

Evan turned, starting back for the door.

The sound of the box falling made Evan freeze.

Something told him not to turn around, to keep walking.

Tyler would be here soon.

His heart raced.

Evan slowly turned around, his eyes landing on the box on the floor. He took a deep, shuddering breath before slowly moving back across the kitchen to the box.

Evan picked up the box.

He turned the light on.

There was nothing.

The light flickered.

Evan put the box back on the shelf once more. “Stay.” He childishly told the box before turning the light off. He had barely turned around when he heard it fall again.

Slowly, Evan turned around.

He turned the light on.

The blood drained from Evan’s face.

Suddenly, he was three years old again, hiding behind his mother’s legs at the fair that came through town each July. He could smell roasting peanuts, the sickly sweet smell of cotton candy, the salt of popcorn. He could hear music.

He could hear screaming.

The screaming became deafening.

Evan was screaming.

“Come on, Evan!” Blood dripped to the floor. “Come join the fun!” Evan scrambled back, tripping over his own feet. He crashed to the floor, his eyes wide with horror. Out of the storage closet stepped a tall clown, its red lips spread to reveal sharp, bloody teeth. Its face was painted white, blue rings around its eyes. Its baggy, tattered clothes were covered with blood. Evan screamed, scrambling back from the laughing clown. The clown lunged towards him, grabbing his ankle. Evan screamed, tears of fear streaming down his face as he kicked at the clown. Sharp claws dug into his ankle. “Come on, Evan!”

“No! No! No! Get off me!” Evan wailed. The clown laughed wildly. It leaned down over him, it’s mouth opening wide as it prepared to rip open his throat with its teeth. Blood and spit dripped onto Evan’s face. He screamed, fighting against the grip the clown had on him.

“Come join the fun, Evan!”

Evan suddenly yanked his ankle free, blood soaking his white sock. He scrambled to his feet, sprinting for the door. The clown laughed, giving chase. Evan swung around the corner, running for the front door.

“Come on, Evan! Come join the fun!” The clown laughed, reaching for him with sharp claws. Evan reached for the front door. He looked back over his shoulder, seeing the clown reach for him, it’s sharp teeth glinting in the red neon light.

Evan pushed open the door, stumbling down the steps.

He didn’t dare look back over his shoulder as he sprinted into the dark summer night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, the song Evan sings is 'Howlin' for you' by the Black Keys ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I've had family visiting last week and I've been super busy. Thank you so much for being patient.   
> I want to say thank you for the support Prom Night has gotten. This fic is probably one of my favourites that I've done. Everything about it I am so happy with. I'm trying new technical stuff and I'm pouring a lot of my own childhood growing up in a small town into this fic. It means a lot to me and it feels so good to write. I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am. I always get nervous when I post horror fics because I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea and sometimes it can be hard for me to stay motived writing them but I'm really confident with Prom Night right now. Thank you guys so much!  
> Also, the soundtrack for this fic is up! As you probably know, music is super important in this fic! You can find the tracklist here: ghosstkid.tumblr.com/post/175123293544/here-is-the-soundtrackplaylist-for-prom-night-a
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!!

The early morning sunlight shone through the skylights, the warm light reflecting off the large, blue swimming pool. 

The door to the boy’s changeroom opened with a metallic creak that filled the silent aquatic centre. Brian stepped out onto the cold tiled pool deck. He scanned the large empty room, his blue towel held tight in his arms. He felt the sharp edges of the tiles under his toes. 

Banners hung on the walls from the swim team’s previous victories. In the corner were brightly coloured floaties used by the children who came with their parents for the two hour ‘kiddie swim’ in the afternoons. The stinging smell of chlorine filled the air.

Brian set his towel down on one of the benches that lined the walls. 

He remembered when he was a kid at summer camp sitting on those benches while the other kids played in the pool. He would sit there for numerous reasons; he had pushed Evan off the swings again, he had said a bad word, he had refused to participate in the silly camp games. Sitting on the bench during the swimming hour at the end of the day was supposed to be a punishment but it wasn’t for Brian. Brian had been convinced that something was down there in the deep end of the pool, under the thin white plate that separated the swimmers from the ventilation system with its mesh filters and spinning fan blades. Sitting on the bench meant he was safe. 

When he got older, he realized how silly that was but a part of him, the part that never seemed to age past six, told him that he should still be afraid. He pushed that voice aside, forgetting about it more and more with every dive he took into the blue water. It became a habit that every Saturday morning he would ride his bike to the pool and do laps. The swim coach wanted him on the team but Brian would always find himself refusing every time she asked. It wasn’t that he thought he wasn’t good enough; it was that his mornings spent in the pool were an escape, the quiet before the storm that was the rest of his day. This afternoon he would be biking over to Tyler’s place for band practice, singing himself hoarse by five o’clock.

That was the other reason he hadn’t joined the swim team; the guys would kill him if he left the band and he didn't want to leave.

Brian pulled his red goggles down over his eyes. 

For now, the things he had to do this afternoon were far from his mind. 

For now, it was quiet. 

He made his way down the pool deck to the light blue coloured diving board. The scratchy plastic dug into the bottoms of his feet as he slowly stepped towards the end of the diving board. 

“Walk the plank!” Craig’s eight-year-old voice rang through Brian’s mind. They always used to yell that when one of the boys got on the diving board. Brian missed those summers, a whirlwind of long, hot days filled with adventures. After grade eight, everything changed. Tyler’s parents got divorced, Evan spent more time alone or with Tyler than he did with anyone else, Craig started chasing after girls, Daithi joined the soccer team, and Brian felt like he was just coasting along, new friends coming and going as time went on.

In a few weeks, everything would change again. 

Brian dove into the pool, barely making a splash. 

He began his first lap, the blue water gliding over him. His mind cleared and all that mattered was the sound of the water and the air in his lungs. He reached the far end of the pool, his hands gripping the slippery grey edge of the pool before turning around and swimming back. Never once did his eyes glance down at the bottom of the pool. 

Every time he turned his head up for air the sound of his gasps echoed through the aquatic centre. His blonde hair stuck to his skull. 

He didn’t see the thin plastic lid that separated him from the teeth of the ventilation system lift and wobble, pushed by something underneath it. 

Brian reached the edge of the pool by the diving board. He pushed himself off the wall and started back for the other side. 

A dark shadow oozed along the bottom of the pool. 

For a moment, the shadow remained at the bottom of the pool, still slowly oozing out of the ventilation. 

Suddenly, it shot forward, wrapping around Brian’s ankle. 

Brian gasped, his eyes widening. 

The black shadow-like tentacle pulled. 

Brian’s scream was muffled as he was yanked violently under water.

He looked down at the bottom of the pool. 

His eyes widened. 

He fought wildly as he was pulled deeper and deeper towards the vent, it’s fans whirring, it’s gears turning. Air bubbles streamed from Brian’s mouth and nose. He clawed at the water, his wide eyes on the light coming from the skylight above the pool. He could hear the whirr of the ventilation system. 

It was deafening. 

For a moment, the thought that he had been right all along crossed his mind. It would have made him smile if the thought that he was going to die hadn’t also crossed his mind. 

His chest tightened painfully as the air drained from his lungs. 

The sharp blades in the vent spun at a blinding pace. 

The edges of his vision blurred and darkened.

The shadowy tentacle suddenly let of Brian, slithering back into the vent. Brian swam towards the surface, his limbs feeling weak, his chest burning. He broke the surface with a loud gasp. He floundered towards the edge of the pool, pulling himself onto the deck. 

The sharp white edges of the tiles dug into his knees. 

Brian heaved for air as he yanked his goggles off, tossing them to the floor. 

“Brian?” He jumped. The swim coach stared at him from where she stood by the women’s change room door. The sound of it closing echoed through the large room. “Are you okay?” Brian heaved for air, his eyes flickering back to the pool. 

There was nothing in the blue water. 

 

Evan awoke with a start. 

He took a few deep breaths, not knowing where he was for a few moments; he wasn’t in his bed, wasn’t in his room. His dark eyes fluttered over posters of old action movies hanging on old wood walls, a messy desk littered with unfinished homework and textbooks that were falling apart, a bag of weed placed on top of a math textbook, a small shelf filled with old books and music books for the drums. Finally, Evan’s dark eyes came to rest on the blonde boy sleeping beside him, the warm quilted blanket that was pulled over the two of them up to his chin. 

Feeling safe, Evan laid his head back on the pillow. 

He remembered running. 

Remembered running until his lungs burned but even then he kept running. Tears had streamed down his face. His breaths came out in ragged gasps. He couldn’t look back. If he looked back he was dead.

The rumble of an engine had made him scream, falling back onto the grass that lined the edge of the road he had found himself on. The bright headlights blinded him. 

“Evan!” Tyler’s voice had called out. He suddenly appeared in front of the headlights, running towards him. “What the fuck are you doing?” He had said as he knelt down in front of the shaking, crying boy. 

“Th-There was a clown...And...And it wanted to...to…” Evan sobbed, his bottom lip wobbling violently. He held Tyler’s hands tightly, tears spilling down his cheeks. His cut-up palms stung from the sweat that covered him. Tyler pulled Evan into a gentle hug. 

“You’re okay. I’m here.” Tyler said softly, his breath caressing Evan’s neck. 

Evan couldn’t remember much about the drive to Tyler’s small house on the edge of town near the train tracks where he lived with his mom. He remembered crying more, remembered how he tried to get out the words to tell Tyler everything but he could only say one word over and over; teeth. He remembered stumbling up the stairs to Tyler’s room, remembered him giving him some clothes to change into, remembered Tyler washing the blood off his face, remembered lying down on Tyler’s bed, remembered Tyler placing the warm quilt over him.

He wondered if he had cried himself to sleep. 

Evan closed his eyes. 

This wasn’t the first time Evan had slept in Tyler’s bed. The first time had been when they accidentally popped the air mattress when Tyler had jumped from his bed to the half inflated mattress that Evan had been lying on, sending the smaller boy flying across the room. Tyler refused to let Evan sleep on the hardwood floor so Evan had climbed onto his bed, a bruise forming on his shoulder from being launched off the air mattress. 

Since then, Evan always crashed on Tyler’s bed. 

The two boys would write songs on that bed, eat popcorn and laugh when they failed to toss it into their mouths, doze after school, smoke, drink and talk all night about where they wanted to go when they finally graduated. They would talk till the sun rose.  

The metal bed frame’s white paint was peeling. 

Evan opened his eyes. 

Tyler stared back at him. 

“Evan…” 

“I’m alright,” Evan whispered. Tyler blinked. His blonde hair looked gold in the warm morning light coming through the small window. 

The echoing sound of a train horn floated through the window. 

“No, you aren’t alright.” Tyler reached forward, rubbing away the dried tears on Evan’s pale cheek. “Did someone try to hurt you last night?” Tyler asked, his hand still on Evan's cheek. Evan’s dark eyes flickered down to look at Tyler’s hand. The taller boy awkwardly pulled his hand away. Evan wished he hadn’t. 

“I-I...I don’t think it was a someone...It was a...a something.” Evan whispered. “I-I’ve had nightmares about this thing…” 

“Evan…” Tyler sighed. “Do you think...maybe you’re putting this monster image on...on something real?” 

“No. There was no human in that diner with me, Tyler. No one attacked me, no one touched me, no one said anything to me. It was...It was...One second there was nothing. The next, there was that thing. It wanted to eat me alive...What if it ate Lui?” Evan’s eyes widened, welling up with tears of fear. He took a deep breath, struggling to stay calm.  

“That was an animal attack, Evan. If it wasn’t a person then maybe...maybe it’s stress. I know you don’t have it that great with your mom right now and with graduating and you saw a kid’s body yesterday. That’s bound to mess with your head…” Tyler trailed off, his gaze on something that Evan couldn’t see. 

“Did...Did you see something?” Evan asked quietly. Tyler’s icy eyes locked onto him. 

“No.” 

“You promised you wouldn’t lie to me, Tyler…” 

“I’m not lying,” Tyler said, rolling onto his back. Evan stared at him. His left hand curled into a fist. “Don’t freak out, it’s just blood.” Tyler had said to Evan who sat beside him on the cold bathroom floor. “Here, you cut my hand now.” He held his right hand out to Evan whose brow furrowed. 

“Are you sure? It hurts!”

“Yes! Do it!” Tyler had laughed. Evan took a deep breath, pressing the knife the fifteen-year-old boy had stolen from his kitchen against his palm. A thin red line appeared on Tyler’s palm as he hissed through gritted teeth. Evan dropped the knife and pressed their bloody hands together. “We won’t lie to each other, won’t fight, won’t hurt each other, we’ll always be there for each other,” Tyler whispered. Evan nodded, holding Tyler’s hand tightly. 

Drops of blood fell from their palms to the white tiled floor. 

The white light on the ceiling buzzed. 

Outside it was snowing, a calm quiet falling over the town. 

“Always…” Evan had whispered. “No matter what.” 

“I just...I don’t know.” Tyler said now, his eyes on the cracked popcorn ceiling above him. Evan stared at him. He had seen something. Evan had known Tyler long enough to know what he was like when something was bothering him. He had also known him long enough to know not to pry. “Are you okay?” Tyler turned his head to look at the boy who laid beside him. 

“I will be.” Evan sighed. Tyler smiled, rolling back onto his side so he could be closer to the other boy. 

“You’re sure you weren’t just...seeing things?” 

“I know what I saw.” Evan’s tone was firm. 

“Okay.” Tyler’s eyebrows rose. 

“Shut up.” A small smile spread on Evan’s face. Tyler’s goofy expression broke into a smile. Tyler stared at the boy who laid beside him under the quilt. It felt good to make him smile. 

“You sure it wasn’t just that dumbass Jonathan?” 

“I’m sure!” Evan laughed. 

“Uh huh!” Tyler laughed, jabbing his fingers against Evan’s side. The black haired boy shrieked, rolling away from Tyler who grabbed onto him, not letting him get away without another ticklish jab. The old bed frame creaked loudly. 

“Tyler stop!” Evan cried breathlessly. 

“I just touched you!”

“Touched me? Yeah, fuck off!” Evan laughed, slapping Tyler’s hands away.

“Tyler? Are you okay?” Tyler’s mother’s voice called out from the hallway on the other side of the thin wood door. Evan snorted. 

“Yeah, mom!” Tyler called back. As soon as the sound of her footsteps had faded down the hall the boys dissolved into giggles, their foreheads nearly pressed together. 

 

Hot water spiralled around the soapy drain. 

Steam fogged the small bathroom mirror. 

“Come on, Evan! Come join the fun!” Evan’s hands curled into fists. He leaned his head against the cold tiled wall, the warm water washing over him. He felt safe here at Tyler’s house, felt safe with Tyler, but could that thing still find him here? Could it find him at home? 

Evan’s chest tightened with fear. He tried to push the memory of bloody teeth from his mind but it was persistent, reminding Evan of how the cold floor had felt under him as he scrambled away from the clown, of the clown’s hot, sticky breath on his face, smelling like blood and caramel, of the blood dripping onto his face. Was it Lui’s blood? Or some other poor kid who hadn’t been able to run away? 

There was one other question that haunted Evan. 

_ Why a clown?  _

He was almost an adult. He wasn’t a kid anymore, right? 

He had told himself many times that he wasn’t scared of clowns anymore; only little kids are scared of clowns. Adults know that clowns are other adults in a costume and face paint which admittedly, can be pretty fucking scary. Evan knew he should be scared of adult things now like rejection, the future, taxes, bodies of dead kids in the woods, adult things. So why then had he screamed like a little boy when he saw the clown? 

The bathroom door suddenly flung open. 

Evan screamed, nearly slipping on the wet tub. 

He looked up in time to see a bucket full of ice and freezing water come over the top of the shower rod. 

“You take too fucking long!” Tyler called out over the sound of Evan’s shrieks as the freezing water crashed over him. “The guys are gonna be here in less than an hour and I want to practice with you!”

“Could have just knocked!” Evan yelled, shivering. 

“Pranked!” Tyler laughed, slamming the bathroom door behind him as he left the room. Evan quickly got out of the shower, getting dressed in a white t-shirt and an old pair of jeans that were too small for Tyler now, but he still had to roll the cuffs up. He ran a hand over the mirror, a small window in the fog. He towelled off his black hair. Content, he turned away from the mirror, heading towards the door. 

His reflection hadn’t moved. 

It stared at the door with a toothy smile. 

“Heading out to the garage,” Tyler said to his mother as Evan came down the stairs. 

“Okay, hun. Do you want me to make lunch for you boys?” 

“That’d be cool.” Tyler smiled. The two boys headed out the front yard to the detached garage that had been converted into a studio. Tyler pushed open the door, the warm morning light spilling onto the white sparkling drum set, keyboard and guitar cases. As Tyler got to work setting up Brian and Daithi’s microphones, Evan opened up his guitar case. Inside was a sparkling blue electric guitar, it’s baby blue silky sash glinting in the light as he pulled it over his shoulder. “Have you shown your mom that acceptance letter to the arts school yet?” Tyler asked. 

“No…” Evan sighed, tuning the guitar. “Probably never will.” 

“But it’s what you want to do!”

“I know...It’s just…She has the money to pay for my schooling. I don’t.” 

“So what? You should be able to go anywhere you want.” Tyler sounded frustrated, slumping down into his seat in front of the drums. He tossed one of the sticks into the air, the white stick flipping a few times before falling back into Tyler’s hand. Evan shrugged, plugging his guitar into the amp.

“I can’t really explain it...It’s just an unspoken rule. I can play the guitar all I want but I can’t go to school for it, can't make a career out of it.” 

“Bullshit,” Tyler said, his foot tapping against the bass pedal. The deep sound filled the room. 

"You haven't even decided where you want to go so..." Evan snapped. He regretted saying the words. Tyler stared at him. Evan knew why he hadn't chosen anywhere to go to. "I'm sorry." Evan looked up at Tyler who sighed. 

“I'm sorry I brought it up." Tyler managed a reassuring smile. "Can we just play?” 

“Yeah.” Evan smiled. Tyler counted them in. Evan’s fingers flew across the strings of his guitar. Tyler soon joined in on the drums, the music filling the room. The thoughts of the future and what they were going to do with it were forgotten, the body of a boy in the woods was forgotten, the bloody teeth were forgotten, it was just the garage, the two boys and the music coming from their instruments. Tyler glanced up from his drums to Evan, noticing his lips moving slightly as if he were mouthing words to the song they started writing together a few months ago. He had heard Evan sing before but it was never genuine. He had sung drunkenly at parties, had tried singing with Daithi and Brian but there was always a hint of a nervousness in his voice that held him back. Tyler wanted to hear him sing. 

He watched Evan for a moment longer before lowering his gaze down to his drums, his eyes closing. The song got a little faster, the two boys giving their all to a song that had yet to be completed. The drumsticks in Tyler’s hands rubbed against the calluses on his palms, the bright pink pick held between Evan’s fingers becoming slick with the sweat on his hands, his black hair falling over his eyes. 

A sudden metallic bang rang through the garage. 

Tyler didn’t notice for a few beats that Evan had suddenly stopped playing, his dark eyes on the wall of the garage, the blood drained from his face. The pick fell from his fingers. 

“Sounds good boys!” A laugh came from outside. Daithi stepped in front of the garage, a smile on his face. Smitty bounced around him, running inside the garage. Evan stared at them, his chest rising and falling heavily. He turned away from them, picking up his pick. He sat down on the floor, his back to the wall, his guitar on his lap. Smitty sat down on the couch, a big smile on his face. 

“It does sound really good. I haven’t heard it before. Did you write it?” Smitty asked excitedly. Evan managed a smile and nodded. 

“That’s so cool!” 

“Yeah…” Evan said weakly. Tyler glanced down at him, a wave of worry coming over him when he saw Evan’s pale face. 

“Are you okay?” Tyler asked quietly. 

“Fine...They just...They just scared me is all.” Evan whispered. 

“You’re okay. You’re safe with me.” 

“For the most part.” Evan smiled. Tyler jokingly rolled his eyes. He looked back at Evan, the two holding each other’s gaze. The warm early summer sun made Evan’s blue guitar shimmer. Evan took in Tyler’s icy blue eyes, the tight grip on the drumsticks in his hands, the way the light reflected off the golden cymbal and onto Tyler. 

“Sorry, we’re late.” Craig’s voice pulled their attention away from each other. Craig smiled as he and Brian walked up the driveway to the garage. Craig had a plastic bag full of chip bags and candies inside. He tossed the bag to Smitty who smiled widely, pulling open a bag of BBQ flavoured chips. “So have we decided on our set list for prom yet or what?” Evan groaned inwardly at the thought of performing at prom. The school had wanted students to perform along with the DJ they had hired and after auditioning, which had been Craig’s idea, they had been selected to perform. Evan hadn’t told his mom about it yet. She’d tell him not to get any ideas. So whenever she had asked about prom, he gave her same the answer every time; “I don’t know”. He had bought a suit, had made sure the navy blue of the suit looked good with the baby blue of his guitar and hadn’t looked at it since. 

“We can go, perform, and then get out of there.” Tyler had suggested when they found out. “I also kinda just want to see you in your suit.” Tyler laughed, making Evan blush brightly before telling him to fuck off. 

“You should play the song you were just playing, Evan!” Smitty said. Evan shook his head. 

“It’s not done.” Tyler shrugged. 

“Well we’re gonna play the cover since we’re good at it, so we may as well practice that today at least. Then we’ll decide on the rest of the songs. Sound good? No one cares if they are all covers. Our own stuff is still pretty iffy.” Craig said as he set up his keyboard. 

“Then let's practice that,” Brian said sharply from where he stood by his microphone. Evan’s brow furrowed. Brian looked pale. Brian’s eyes met Evan’s. There was something familiar in the wideness of Brian’s eyes, the way he jumped at the smallest movement, at the smallest sound. Brian quickly looked away from Evan. 

“I kinda agree with Brian. Can we do something over than the cover?” Tyler asked. Daithi stayed out of it, not minding what they played so long as it was something. He busied himself with getting his guitar out of its case and tuning it. 

“Let’s just do it once, then we’ll do the other stuff? Sound good?” Craig said, putting his hand down sharply on the keys. A jarring sound rang from its speakers, making Evan and Brian jump. Craig took his hand off the keys. 

“Fine.” Tyler shrugged. “If we suck in front of the whole school that’s on you, Craig.” Evan laughed as he got up, careful not to hit his guitar off the garage wall. Craig shot him a glare. 

“Shut up, Tyler! We won’t suck!” Craig cried. Tyler rolled his eyes, before starting to count them in. Music spilt out of the garage and down the driveway. Smitty watched with wide eyes, his small hand reaching into the chip bag and shoving a handful of chips into his mouth. Brian gripped his microphone tightly in his hand, his eyes closed tightly. He took a deep breath. 

“In a few weeks I will get time...To realize it's right before my eyes…” Brian tapped his hand in time to the beat against his thigh. Evan watched him, noticing the tremble in his voice that hadn’t been there before. Evan’s eyes looked down at the strings of his guitar. If something had happened, now wasn’t the time to think about it. “I am leaving….This is starting to feel like it's right before my eyes...And I can taste it...It's my sweet beginning.” 

The song got faster as it got to the chorus. Daithi joined in with Brian. Evan’s shoulders and hips began to move in time to the music. Tyler glanced up at Evan, a smile spreading on his lips. 

He loved watching Evan dance. 

“You don't want to be alone...And I can't say it's what you know...But you've known it the whole time!” The boys sang. 

“Maybe next year I'll have no time….T-To think about the questions to address...Am I the one to try to stop the fire?” Brian’s voice wavered again as he sang the second verse, getting a look from Craig behind him. Brian looked thankful when the song finally reached the bridge. Evan didn’t notice for just a moment, the only sound came from his guitar. His fingers flew across the strings. Tyler smiled, watching Evan before quickly jumping back into the song. The song finished with one last chorus, the last few notes fading out. 

Smitty jumped to his feet, spilling chip crumbs onto the floor as he applauded. 

“That was so good!” Smitty cried. The boys smiled. 

“Brian, what’s with you today?” Craig asked suddenly. Brian’s smile fell from his face. He glanced around at Daithi, Evan and Tyler who stared back at him. 

“I-I...I…” Brian stammered. “Nothing...Sorry.” Tyler glanced at Evan, remembering how he had tripped over his words the night before. 

“It’s fine. It’s just...we have a week till prom and I wanna-” 

“It’ll be fine, Craig,” Daithi reassured him. “Besides, we’re never gonna see any of those people again after commencement.”

“What?” Smitty’s eyes widened. 

“We’ll still see you, Smitty.” Evan smiled. “Don’t worry. The band isn’t going to separate.” That was a lie but Evan hadn’t told anyone except Tyler about his plan for what came next after high school but he had a feeling that almost everyone else would be leaving too or trying to. Tyler’s eyes lowered to his drums. 

“That was good guys,” Craig said as if he hadn’t complained about Brian’s singing. “What song do you want to play next?” 

 

There were grey storm clouds on the horizon that loomed with the threat of thunderstorms. A cold wind blew through the town, rustling the leaves on the trees and making the young boy shiver as he walked down the cracked sidewalk. Smitty couldn’t help but smile. The sound of Evan and Tyler’s song that had floated down the road to greet him and Daithi as they made their way up the street to Tyler’s house was still in Smitty’s head. It had sounded so beautiful. Smitty imagined that the song was Evan. Evan was so kind. So beautiful. He remembered when Evan had smiled at him for the first time not long after he had moved here with his family. He never knew anyone who had smiled at him like that before. 

“Do you think you just have a crush on him because he was nice to you?” John had asked him once. Smitty shook his head. 

“It’s more than that.” Smitty had smiled. John hadn't looked so sure.

“He’s gonna be a senior in September. Have you thought about that too?” John had pointed out. Smitty tried not to think about it and now with a week away until prom, he still didn’t want to think about it. Evan had promised that he would still see him and he knew Evan wouldn’t break his promise. 

Smitty smiled, continuing down the sidewalk. He had promised John and Fitz that he’d meet up with them after the practice. They were talking about going to the movies since there was nothing else to do in this town on a Saturday night. The town where Smitty was born had a lot more to do, he had overheard his mother saying. If it hadn’t have been for the development project his dad was assigned to, they wouldn't have had to move here. Smitty didn’t think that anything could be developed here. It was all old, cracked and frail. It was quiet, boring and suffocating. He had overheard the older boys talking about leaving one day. He imagined he’d do the same in four years. 

The roar of an engine made the boy stop to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the old sports car racing down the quiet street towards him. Smitty broke into a run. 

“Get back here you little shit!” Jonathan’s voice rang through the street. Smitty heaved for air, his backpack full of the snacks Craig had given him thumping against his back. He dared to look back, seeing the car coming to a stop just behind him. 

_ Get away from the road!  _

Smitty turned, bolting into the overgrown yard of a house. He ran around to the back, finding an old, rotting swing set and porch. He ran to the porch, crawling under the old wood. Spider webs clung to his face and clothes but he didn’t dare hit at them just yet. He put his hands over his mouth, his wide eyes watching the small opening he had crawled through. 

He didn’t understand why Jonathan and his friends went after him. He had heard rumours about how Jonathan had a thing for Evan, going after him every chance he had. Perhaps Jonathan thought going after Smitty was a way to get at Evan. Smitty couldn’t understand why. What had he or Evan or anyone else Jonathan bullied, done to him? 

Whatever the reason, he terrified Smitty. 

He stared at the opening, praying that Jonathan would just leave him alone. 

The back screen door above him screeched open. 

Smitty’s eyes rose to the thin cracks of light above him. Had the person living here seen him run into their backyard? His chest rose and fell heavily.  

He heard heavy footsteps on the rotting wood but no shadow passed over the cracks. 

Something told Smitty to run but he didn’t move. 

He couldn’t move. 

The heavy footsteps moved down the creaking steps. 

Smitty’s chest rose and fell heavily. 

Silence crashed over the overgrown, rotting yard. 

A figure suddenly appeared in the small opening, blocking out the warm sunlight. 

Blood and bits of rotted flesh fell to the dead grass. 

“G-Get back here...You little shit…” The rotting corpse yelled at Smitty who wanted to scream but all he could manage were gasping whimpers. The corpse lunged towards him. 

Smitty finally screamed, falling back against the rotting wall behind him. The corpse continued to crawl towards him, dragging its decomposing body across the dirt. Smitty hit at the wood behind him, splinters flying through the hot air. 

The board gave way. 

Smitty fell back onto the dirt and grass. He screamed as he turned, scrambling out from under the porch. The corpse’s rotting fingers latched onto Smitty’s ankle. The boy screamed, kicking at the rotting hand. He saw disembodied fingers fall to the dirt. His stomach rolled violently. He scrambled to his feet, sprinting back towards the road. The corpse’s thudding footsteps followed him. 

“Help! Help!” Smitty screamed. “Somebody!” He wailed. He didn’t stop to look back until his feet had hit the sidewalk on the other side of the street. He could faintly hear the rumble of Jonathan's car as it went around the block. 

His eyes widened. 

On the front porch of the old, abandoned house that his parents had told him to stay away from was a man crouched on the rotting wood. Slowly, it began to stand, it’s bloody lips spreading to reveal sharp teeth. The man rose on legs too long to be human, it's long arms hanging at its sides. 

Smitty let out another whimper, slowly backing away down the sidewalk. 

The tall man had no eyes. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I really like this chapter!! I hope you guys enjoy it!!

Thunder rolled over the sleeping town. Rain pattered onto roofs and tapped against glass windows. Soft, orange lamplight glowed from windows; little islands of light breaking through the dark of the storm. The rain washed away chalk hopscotch squares and drawings on the roads. The wind pulled at the leaves, throwing them across the road like a furious toddler throws their toys. A strike of lightning lit up the sky with a white glow before quickly being followed by roaring thunder. Some children cried in response to the roar of the thunder, wanting their mothers. Others hid under their covers, hoping the roaring monster couldn’t find them. The older kids would simply look up from their books, or raise their tired, half-open eyes to look at the window before promptly falling asleep again.

It had been raining like this a year ago, on a dark night that made parents check, then double check, then triple check on their children throughout the night.  

For some, those thoughts were on the mind tonight but for Craig, the memory of that night was far from his mind as he stared down at the pretty pink paper decorated with sparkles and lace that rested on the heavy science textbook he used as a makeshift desk while he sat in bed. He had seen the paper at the art store and he immediately thought of her; Sami, the beautiful girl who sat beside him English class and was on the cheerleading squad. Craig chewed his lip as he stared down at the words he had written on the pink page, his pencil tapping against the textbook. 

The orange glow from his lamp on his bedside table filled the room. On his desk across the room were music and school books. On his bookshelf were a few photos, polaroids taken with Evan’s camera. One was from Halloween the year before, when the group of them had dressed up as ghosts with sheets over their heads. Daithi hadn’t been able to find a plain white one so he ran around in a polka-dotted sheet. They called him ‘Charlie Brown’ the whole night. 

“Dear Sami, it would be a dream if you went to prom with me…” Craig sighed. “No…” He sighed, erasing the words carefully, not wanting to ruin the paper. “Dear Sami, will you go to prom with me? No. Too straightforward. Ugh!” He shook his head. 

“Just like...write 'prom' on a poster board and show it to them.” Tyler had said once at a party last summer. The topic of being a senior and graduating had come up and of course, it turned to how to ask a girl to prom. 

“That’s so cliche.” Evan had laughed, nearly spilling his drink. Craig hadn’t liked the poster idea so he opted for a sweet little letter. 

However, he had no idea what to say. 

Another clap of thunder shook the town. 

“Dear Sami...My band is performing at prom and it would be really cool if you came and maybe we could dance together afterwards.” Craig said aloud as he wrote. “That’s so dumb, Craig.” He muttered, erasing the words. He’d have to scrap this page soon and start again if he kept erasing. 

The orange lamplight flickered. 

Craig glanced at the lamp, wondering how much longer the storm would last. He hoped that it wouldn’t rain on prom night. 

Craig took a deep breath, looking down at the pink paper. It had to be perfect. 

The light flickered again. 

Something touched Craig’s foot under his blanket. 

Craig’s leg recoiled. He stared down at the edge of the bed, seeing nothing there. Figuring it was just a twitch, Craig’s gaze turned back down to the page. “Dear Sami…” 

His foot was touched again. 

Craig stared at the end of his bed. 

Slowly, he set the book aside and slowly crawled towards the end of his bed. He looked down at the carpeted floor, seeing nothing there. Craig’s brow furrowed.

He stared at the floor.

The thought crossed his mind that he hadn’t looked under his bed before getting into it. 

He always used to look under his bed before going to sleep when he was younger. He knew there was something under there and if he checked, everything would be okay. He hadn’t checked tonight. He had stopped checking years ago, when he started grade nine. 

Craig stared down at the floor. 

Slowly, he began to lean forward to check under his bed. 

A pale, skeletal hand suddenly shot out from under the bed, it’s fingers latching into Craig’s face. It’s sharp nails dug into his skin.

Craig’s eyes went wide. 

The hand dragged him off the bed, sending him crashing to the floor. It’s nail’s dug into his skin. 

He scrambled to his feet, his eyes on his bedroom door. The pale hand shot out again from under the bed and gripped his ankle, yanking his feet out from under him. The carpet rubbed painfully against his knees. 

“Fuck...fuck no!” Craig clawed at the carpet as the pale skeletal fingers tightened on his ankle, dragging him back towards the bed. He dared to look back over his shoulder. 

He saw sharp teeth dripping with blood. The sharp set of teeth opened and closed. He could hear the click the teeth made as they bit down, could see saliva and blood drip down the bone white surface. 

Lightning flashed, illuminating the space under the bed. 

A figure with long limbs and a pale skeletal face was crouched under the bed like a spider in its web, it’s eyeless face empty save for a wide, bloody smile. 

Craig screamed. 

He pulled at the carpet, desperately trying to drag himself away from the figure. 

“Craig…” A voice called out. Craig knew that voice. He had heard it in his nightmares. He had heard it in the pit of his stomach when he laid in bed at night after watching a horror movie, certain that the ghosts were under his bed. He had heard it in the dark when the power would go out and all he had was a flashlight to keep him safe. 

It was the voice of fear itself. 

The skeletal hand yanked him back, his feet hitting the wooden edge of the bed. 

He heard the sound of the thing’s teeth chomping on the air again. 

“No! No!” Craig wailed, the carpet burning against his knees and hands. “No!” 

The bedroom door suddenly flew open. 

“Craig? What the hell is going on?” His father cried. His mother stood behind him, her face pale with worry. Craig looked back under the bed. The thing that had been underneath was gone. Rain hit the window. Thunder rolled overhead. 

Craig felt like he as going to be sick. 

Instead of answering his parents, he got to his feet and fled from the room, tears streaming down his face. 

 

“You’re sure you’ll be fine for the night? You got everything you need? I’m sorry this trip is so sudden. Your father got called last night and-” 

“I’ll be fine, mom.” 

“Okay. Remember, no parties. No staying up late. You have school tomorrow. It's your last week! Are you excited?” 

“I-I guess...I mean…” Evan stammered. His mother’s brow furrowed. “Yes. I’m excited.” Evan managed a smile. The car honked, Evan’s father having finished loading the trunk with their bags. It was still raining, the occasional roll of thunder passing overhead. It had kept Evan awake all night. Every clap of thunder made him jump and scan the shadows in his room for movement. 

He wished he was still at Tyler’s. 

“Good.” She pulled Evan into a hug. “Be good! I’ll call you later. We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” She said, hurrying down the front steps to the car, holding her purse over her head as cover from the rain. Evan stood in the doorway, waving to them as they pulled out of the driveway. He lowered his hand as soon as the car was out of sight, quickly stepping back inside the empty house, closing the heavy front door. He took a deep breath. It was just one night. It couldn’t be that bad. 

He hadn’t seen the clown since Friday night. 

Maybe he was safe. 

The house creaked. Rain tapped against the windows. The wind outside whistled through the drafts in the windows. 

“M-Maybe some music…” Evan whispered. He turned away from the front door, opening the double glass doors into the living room where he walked over to the radio by the TV. He turned on the radio. His dad’s favourite classical radio station was still on. Evan left it. Classical music was nice on a rainy day. He moved slowly through the large living room furnished with beautiful armchairs and a big couch with mahogany side tables, shelves and coffee table his mother had found in the city, towards the small door the kitchen. Rain pattered on the large front window. A grey squirrel ran along the top of the tall fence the lined the sides of the house. 

Sometimes, mostly when he was alone on weekends like this, Evan liked to sit by that large window with his guitar, plucking at the strings, his eyes on the quiet world on the other side of the glass. Sometimes he thought of himself as a trapped prince in a tower when he sat by that window, waiting for someone to come rescue him, waiting for his happy ending to start. Sometimes he would think of Tyler. 

In the kitchen, Evan ran his hand over the smooth, spotless marble countertop. He opened the pantry door, finding a box of granola bars stuffed on a shelf beside a box of pancake mix and cereal. He took one of the bars, tossing the green wrapper in the trash. He stopped by the kitchen window above the sink, biting into the granola bar. The lush gardens his mother spent hours in during the summer soaked up the rain. Trees lined the edge of the property. The woods stretched over to the highway about half a mile away. Behind him was the door to the basement where there was a bigger TV and big old couches, where memories of sleepovers, fort building and dangerous hockey games were stored away. 

They lived comfortably in this old but very nicely renovated house thanks to his father’s job. He was gone a lot, travelling the country, but he always returned with a comfortable paycheck. However, when Evan grew up, he no longer wanted to show off the newest toy or video game console he got. His friend’s never had them. He no longer wanted to show off his big, cold house. He felt awkward when Tyler came over. The floor didn’t creak under his feet like it did at Tyler’s place. The floorboards there always gave Evan away when they played hide and seek. 

“Don’t feel bad.” Tyler had said when Evan had mentioned that he felt awkward about him coming over. “I used to live in a big house like you, remember?” Tyler smiled. Evan did remember. Tyler used to live down the street from him. They used to run out of their houses at the same time and hurry to meet half away. Then Tyler’s parents got into a big fight and they could only see one way out of it. Evan remembered Tyler sleeping over at his place, too scared to go home, too scared to hear his parents fighting over the divorce again. Evan remembered the two of them crying when the moving van pulled away from the big house Tyler had once called home. 

“Don’t cry, sweetheart.” Evan’s mother had said softly. “You’ll see him tomorrow.” And he had. He saw him almost every single day. The days where he didn’t felt like an eternity. 

Thinking of Tyler, Evan turned his dark eyes to the yellow coloured phone on the wall in the kitchen. 

“What do you mean you’re busy?” Evan sighed a few moments later, the phone to his ear. He fidgeted with the yellow cord that he had stretched to the counter that he sat on top of, his back against the plate cupboard. 

“My mom needs the truck and she wants me to help her get groceries then she’s going to this night class thing at the rec centre. Also, I have a math test tomorrow I really need to study for.” Tyler explained. 

“I can help you study.” Evan smiled. 

“I’m sorry, Ev. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Tyler said softly. Evan bit the inside of his lip. He didn’t want to hang up. 

“Okay.” Evan finally said. 

“Are you doing okay?” Tyler asked. Evan’s eyes drifted to the basement door. The soft notes of the music coming from the living room filled the cold air. Thunder rolled overhead. “Evan?” 

“Yeah. I’m alright.” Evan said, his fingers fidgeting with the cord. 

“Okay.” Tyler sounded hesitant. 

“I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Bye.” Evan jumped off the counter and hung up the phone. He figured he should get some homework done too. He started for the stairs. 

Someone knocked on the front door. 

Evan froze. 

The knocking continued, loud and frantic. 

Evan stared at the door. 

Thunder rolled overhead, rumbling the house. 

The music swelled. 

No one had called Evan to say that they were coming over. 

Evan glanced nervously at the stairs then back at the door. 

The knocking continued. 

Slowly, Evan stepped towards the door. 

His hand curled around the handle. 

He took a deep breath and pulled it open. 

“Craig?” Evan’s eyes widened. Craig stood on the porch, his jacket soaking wet, his purple hair plastered to his skull. “Are you okay?” 

“N-No...Can I come in?” Craig stammered. Evan nodded, stepping out of the way. Craig stepped inside, his rubber boots squelching. Evan glanced outside at the rainy neighbourhood before closing the door. He hung up Craig’s wet coat and grabbed him a blanket from off the couch, wrapping it around his friend’s shoulders. They made their way into the kitchen where Evan turned on one of the gas burners and placed the red kettle over it to boil some water. He found some hot chocolate from the winter on the top shelf of the pantry. 

“How many scoops do you want?” Evan asked.

“Do you have any Baileys?” Craig asked. 

“Yeah...I just can’t put in a lot or my mom will kill me.” Evan said. 

“Then two scoops with a little bit Baileys.” Craig pulled the blanket tighter around him. “Thank you.” He added quietly. 

“You’re welcome.” Evan smiled. The kettle whistled. He put in two scoops of hot chocolate, a bit of milk and some Baileys into the mug and stirred it before bringing it over to Craig who took a careful sip. Evan returned to the counter, making himself a mug of hot chocolate too but without the Baileys. It was too early for him. He put everything away before sitting down beside Craig at the kitchen table. Silence fell over the two boys. Steam rose from their white mugs. Thunder rolled overhead. The sound of piano music softly filled the quiet rooms. 

Evan knew what Craig was going to tell him. 

He knew that no matter what Craig saw, he had seen the same thing. He prayed that when Craig finally opened his mouth that it wouldn't be about that thing that attacked him. He prayed that it’d be about the storm, about graduating, about prom, about the band,  about anything, just not that, not the thing that appeared in the corner of your eye, not the thing that moved in the shadows of your room when you couldn’t sleep, not the fear that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, not the thing that made children cry for their mothers. 

“I-I don’t know how to say this…” Craig whispered. “It’s just...You...You are the only one who might actually listen to me and not laugh at me.” 

“Craig...No one's going to laugh at you,” Evan said softly. 

“You haven’t heard what I have to tell you yet…” Craig stammered. Evan sighed, his grip on the warm mug in front of him tightening. 

“What is it?” Evan asked, wishing he hadn’t. 

“I-I saw something last night...under my bed. It dragged me out of bed...It wanted to eat me alive...It had sharp-“

“Teeth.” Evan finished Craig’s sentence. Craig’s eyes widened. Evan reached for Craig’s spiked cocoa, taking a sip from it. Craig didn’t try to stop him. Evan set the mug down on the table. His eyes glanced at the basement door. Rain tapped on the window. The soft music floated into the kitchen from the living room. 

“I thought I was going to die, Evan,” Craig whispered. “I don’t wanna die. I’m a kid. I still got one more week of high school left! I wanna go to prom. I want to go on a date with Sami and I wanna go to university and I want to get out of this town!” Craig gasped for air. Evan reached for Craig’s hand, holding it tightly. 

“You will. You got away from that thing. You’re alive.” Evan reassured him. “You’ll do all those things.” 

“What did you see?” Craig whispered. Evan took a deep breath. 

“A clown...It was at the diner on Friday night. I was alone. One second there was nothing...The next it was there. It attacked me and I was so sure that it was going to bite my throat open.” A cold sweat broke out on Evan’s forehead. 

“Why...Why didn’t you tell us yesterday?” Craig asked, suddenly remembering Evan’s silence, how he had jumped at everything, how big his eyes were as if he were trying to keep watch of every corner in the garage, the way Tyler had kept looking at him as he would break apart any second. Evan’s dark eyes remained on the table. 

“I-I told Tyler but I don’t know if he really believed me...I didn’t want to talk about it.” Evan said quietly. “I think...I think Brian saw it too.” Thunder rolled over the quiet neighbourhood, rattling the house. Craig’s grip on Evan’s hand tightened. 

“I wish it would stop raining…” Craig breathed. Evan turned his head to look back at the kitchen window and the green trees that lined the property. Rain dripped from their leaves. 

“I think that thing killed Lui too…” Evan breathed. Craig sighed. Tyler had told him about Lui yesterday, their eyes nervously glancing at Evan who sat with Smitty, his guitar in his lap as he stole chips from the younger boy. Tyler had said it was an animal attack but now, Craig wasn't so sure.

“We should go back there.” 

“What?” 

“To where you found the body. To where you found Lui.” Craig said, his eyes wide. Evan stared at him. After a moment, he shook his head. 

“No. I’m not going back there.” 

“Evan, please. How will we know if this thing is real or not if we don’t have proof?” 

“Craig...You don’t understand.”

“I do understand, Evan. I thought I was going to die last night. I want to know what fucking dragged me out of my bed.” Craig cried, hitting his fist on the table. “I want to know and I want to fucking kill it. Don’t you want to kill it? For attacking you? For possibly killing Lui?” 

“I don’t know what I want to do.” Evan’s bottom lip wobbled. “I’m so scared, Craig. I keep thinking it's going to jump out at me from every corner.” 

“Come on, Ev. Let's go to the woods.” Craig persisted. Evan felt sick. He regretted having some of the alcohol this early in the morning. 

“Craig...I-I got a lot to do and-“ Evan stammered, getting to his feet. Craig stood up suddenly, nearly knocking over his chair. He grabbed Evan’s arms, his nails digging into his skin. Evan winced. 

“Please, Evan. I want to see it.”

“No, you don’t.” 

“Evan. I want to see it.” Craig said firmly. “You won’t be alone. I’ll stay right with you. Please. I have to know what it was.” Evan stared at him, wishing he’d let go of him. Evan took a deep breath. 

He wanted to know too but a part of him wanted to stay where it was safe, or at least where he thought it was safe. His dark eyes drifted to the kitchen window and the dark woods outside. 

Craig was right though.

He wanted to know what it was. 

He wanted to kill it. 

“Okay…” Evan whispered. “Just this one time…” 

“Thank you.” Craig smiled. 

“Let me get my coat,” Evan said, finally released from Craig’s tight grip. Evan turned away from him, heading up the stairs. His hand gripped the railing tightly. Upstairs, he hurried to his room, grabbing his coat and a pair of running shoes. 

As he finished tying his left shoe, his eyes landed on the small Polaroid camera on his bedside table. He found it at a garage sale, some girl hadn’t wanted the small baby blue coloured camera she had found at some expensive store in the mall anymore so Evan gladly took it for a few dollars. After he got it, he took with him everywhere, the bright white flash shadowing his friends. He had a box full of photos under his bed. He didn’t want his mom to find the photos of them partying and drinking. Tyler appeared in most of the little white boarded photos the camera produced, sometimes candid, sometimes posed, the bright flash illuminating the world around him. 

“You could catch ghosts using that flash. I’ve heard of that. Things appearing in the flash.” Brian had said once. 

“That’s creepy.” Evan had said. 

It was still creepy now but maybe Brian was right. Maybe he could catch things in the flash of white light. 

Evan got up and grabbed the camera. 

 

Thunder rolled over the quiet town. Rain showered onto the streets. The two boys made their way through the maze of suburbs towards the playground. Trees swayed in the wind, green leaves falling through the air to the wet pavement. Water rushed along the sides of the roads to the storm drains. 

“Have you ever thought about how weird it is to grow up?” Craig asked, his eyes on the sidewalk. Evan glanced at him, his dark eyes peering at him from under his rain coat’s orange hood. “We were born here in this town. We played at this playground we’re going to, we played on these streets, we went to school, went to summer camp. Everything has remained exactly the same but we’ve grown up and now...what we thought was the only town in the whole fucking universe, what we thought was wonderful, has turned into a suffocating trap that we need to escape from. That’s what growing up is...looking for an escape. Why is it like that? Why does it have to be an escape? What are we fleeing from?”  

“Monsters,” Evan whispered. Not even two years ago, that would have been a metaphor. 

They turned the corner, walking past the house that Lui had once lived in. All of the windows were dark. Evan couldn’t help but stare at it. He wanted to walk up to the door and apologize to Lui’s mother but a part of him never wanted to look her in the eyes again. It wasn’t his fault Lui was dead but he was the one who found her boy dead in the woods. 

They continued past the house and down the street without saying a word. They turned another corner, the playground coming into view at the end of the street. Water squelched under their feet. Rain pattered on the waterproof material of their coats. Evan stopped when they reached the playground. 

“Hey, pretty boy. What happened?” Jonathan’s laugh rang through Evan’s mind. The sharp red colour of blood on the bright green grass flashed in front of him like his camera’s flash. Craig stopped, looking back at Evan with a furrowed brow. 

“Why don’t we start looking here then go into the woods?” Craig asked, sounding hesitant. 

“It’s been raining since last night.” Evan sighed. “What are you looking for?” Craig’s jaw clenched. He turned away from Evan, his eyes on the sand. The wet sand clung to his boots. Evan took a deep breath before slowly stepping over the wood barrier that kept in the sand that was meant to save kids from the pain of broken ankles, broken wrists, broken necks. He slowly climbed the staircase to the top of the slide, water dripping from the yellow rails. 

“We’re the kings of the castle!” Tyler had once yelled many years ago, running past where Evan now stood and slid head first down the slide, Evan following close behind. The two of them had crashed onto the sun-warmed sand. 

Evan’s dark eyes stared at the bottom of the slide. He turned away, his gaze now on the monkey bars. He gripped one of the slippery wet bars, rising one of his feet to hook it through the bars. Slowly, he let go of the bar, letting himself hang upside down from the monkey bars. He watched Craig slowly walk around the soaking wet playground. Water soaked into Evan’s jeans, his black hair standing on end. The blood rushed to his head. 

“Do you think a town can be haunted?” Craig asked. Evan’s dark eyes lifted to the dark grey sky. 

It had been raining like this a year ago. 

“Yeah,” Evan said, reaching up for the bar. He pulled his legs off the bar and jumped down to the wet sand with a thud, chunks of sand gathering around the indent his sneakers made. His socks were starting to get wet. 

“Do you think...maybe this thing...has something to do with what happened last year?” Craig asked nervously. Evan remembered that night, remembered the cool damp air in Brian’s basement, the tension in the room, the music, the drinks. Everyone knew where they were that night. 

“I don’t know.” Evan’s eyes were on the road and the quiet houses that lined it. The back of his neck prickled. 

He felt watched. 

He unzipped his coat’s pocket, pulling out the small blue camera. He took a photo of the street, the white flash illuminating the drops of rain falling around him. After a moment, the photo emerged from the top of the camera. He took it out, shaking it a few times before putting it into his pocket to examine later. “Come on. I’ll show you where we found him.” Evan said, his tone empty as he walked around the playground, over to Craig. 

Following the red ribbons, Evan lead the way into the rainy woods, armed with his camera. Around some of the branches still hung yellow police tape. Wet leaves stuck to their shoes. Thunder rumbled overhead. Evan struggled to keep his breathing steady. He tried not to think about Lui’s bloody arm. They rounded a bend in the path. Evan stopped. 

“Are we here?” Craig whispered. 

“T-This was where I found his arm...His body was a few feet that way off the path.” Evan managed to explain, his eyes on the wet grass. Other than the police tape, there was no sign that anything horrible had happened here. 

“Are you okay?” Craig whispered. 

“Yeah.” Evan breathed. 

“I won’t go far,” Craig reassured him as he moved further down the path. Evan nodded, his grip on his camera tightening. He turned, taking a photo of the path behind him. The flash illuminated the trees. Evan took a few more photos of the woods around him, taking them from the slot on the top of the camera and placing them into his pocket where they wouldn’t get wet. He wondered about what he would do if he did actually catch something in the flash of the camera. He turned to look at his friend who stood where Lui’s body had been, his eyes on the grass. Craig knelt down, picking up a piece of fabric that had been torn from Lui’s jacket. Evan felt sick. Craig tossed the torn piece of cloth back down onto the grass before standing up, brushing his hands off on his jeans. Evan forced himself to lift his camera and take a photo. Craig jumped at the flash. “Jesus, warn me.” Craig managed a laugh as the camera whirred, the white boarded photo sliding out of the top of the camera. Evan smiled, shaking the photo a few times before slipping it into his pocket. “Let's go. I’ve had enough.” Craig said, leading the way out of the woods.

Evan followed him. 

In his pocket, the photo slowly began to fade into existence. In it was Craig, his eyes on Evan. The flash had illuminated the trees around him and the dark shadows between them. Standing by one of those trees, only a few feet away from Craig, was a little boy who had no eyes. 

He was missing an arm. 

 

“Uno!” 

“Oh for fuck's sake! You just fucking had uno!” 

“Does anyone have a plus two or something?” 

“Nope.” 

“Ha ha! I win again!” Smitty laughed wildly, tossing his last card down onto the pile. Brian, Daithi and Craig groaned loudly. 

“Evan do you want to play now?” Brian asked, his eyes on the boy who lay on the old couch across the large room, his blue guitar in his hands. He idly strummed the strings, his eyes on the ceiling of the basement. Brian took a sip from his beer, his brow furrowing when Evan didn’t answer. “Evan?” 

“Hmm?” The boy turned his head, his dark eyes meeting Brian’s. He had been thinking about that afternoon when they found Lui, about the blood on the grass, about the way Tyler had held onto his hand the whole way back to the truck, about the way Jonathan had taunted him, about how Tyler was ready to fight Jonathan. Those dreamy thoughts kept finding ways to turn into nightmares though for Evan’s mind would return as to why they were all there by the playground, the warm June sunlight washing over them as if nothing was wrong. 

“Do you want to play?” 

“Maybe later,” Evan said, his fingers plucking at the strings of his guitar. Brian sighed, finishing his beer. The three boys had been sitting on Evan’s front porch when Evan and Craig arrived back from their expedition into the woods. Daithi had a bag full of beer bottles. 

“What were you guys doing?” Brian asked. 

“We both saw-” 

“Smoking. I had a joint that Tyler gave me.” Evan had lied, cutting Craig off quickly. He wasn’t ready to talk to the rest of them about what had been going on. It was the last thing they needed to hear.  

“And you didn’t save any for us?” Brian whined. 

“Didn't know you were coming over,” Evan said as he unlocked his door and headed inside, not seeing Craig’s look of confusion aimed in his direction. 

After a dinner consisting of pizza and beer, they had gone down to the basement to play board games, the group of them planning to crash at Evan’s place. The four of them seemed to follow Evan almost wherever he went, not wanting to be alone. Smitty had been clung to Evan while he played connect four with Daithi, the younger boy refusing to let go until Evan finally asked him if he was okay. Smitty had nodded and quickly let go of him, pretending that he hadn’t held onto Evan for almost twenty minutes. 

The storm outside continued to rage on, getting worse as it got darker. 

Upstairs, the large house was silent, the only sound coming from the basement where the boys were. Each room was empty and still. Rain pattered on the windows. 

A tall dark figure passed the kitchen window. 

Evan was tired and he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep on the couch where he had laid down after one too many beers. He hadn’t slept a full night’s sleep since Friday night, since he slept in Tyler’s bed. He closed his eyes, his fingers sleepily plucking at the strings. Sleep reached for him, threatening to pull him under. His hand slipped from his guitar. 

“What the fuck?” Brian suddenly screamed. Evan’s eyes shot open. There wasn’t a difference if his eyes were open or closed, the darkness suddenly overwhelming him. Evan struggled to breathe as he sat up. Thunder rumbled overhead. 

“Evan!” Smitty whimpered. 

“It’s okay...It’s okay...The power just went out.” Evan stammered. He set his guitar down against the couch and fumbled for the side table. He pulled open the drawer, finding a small flashlight. He turned it on, finding his friends huddled together, brightly coloured cards scattered across the carpet. “I-I’m gonna check the breaker...Stay here okay?” He said, mostly to Smitty who was on the brink of tears. Evan prayed that he hadn’t seen the thing that had attacked him. “It’s okay.” Evan breathed. He made his way out of the den to the small hallway that led to the small laundry room and an even smaller bathroom. Evan’s sock covered feet padded on the cold cement floor. He clutched the flashlight tightly. He wished now that he had asked someone to come with him. It hurt to breathe, his chest was so tight with fear. Every muscle seized, bracing to run. His heart raced. 

“Come on, Evan! Come join the fun!” The clown’s guttural voice had laughed. 

His flashlight illuminated the doorway to the bathroom. He didn’t dare look inside. He pushed open the door to the laundry room. Inside was the water heater, and the furnace. It rumbled like the thunder outside. There was a small window by the ceiling, the grass lawn in the backyard visible. Lightning flashed. 

Evan’s breaths came in short gasps. He glanced behind him at the open doorway and the darkness beyond, seeing nothing. He manoeuvred around a stack of laundry baskets to the electrical panel. He glanced over the index taped to the inside of the door. 

“Evan! Are you okay?” Craig called out. 

“I’m alright!” Evan called back. He quickly flipped the main switches. 

There was a tap on the small window. 

Evan blinked. 

Slowly, Evan turned his head to look at the window. 

Evan’s dark eyes widened. 

The flashlight slipped from his fingers. 

The window shattered, glass flying through the air. 

Evan screamed, stumbling backwards. 

He tripped over the baskets, falling hard onto the cement floor. 

The world spun violently. 

Evan was able to focus on the clown that was crawling through the small broken window, blood dripping from its mouth, it’s long arms gripping the walls to drag itself further into the small room. 

“Come on, Evan! Come join the fun!" 

Evan screamed again, managing to push himself to his feet. 

He grabbed the flashlight, the bright white light flashing across the walls. 

He sprinted into the hallway, tears streaming down his face. 

He could see the den. 

He could see his friends cowering in the corner of the basement by the fireplace. 

His feet slipped on the cement floor. 

His flashlight fell from his hand. 

Evan crashed to the floor, his teeth biting into his tongue. 

Blood filled his mouth. 

“Evan!” Craig screamed. 

Dazed, Evan slowly raised his head, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth. 

A clawed hand grabbed his ankles. 

Evan screamed as he was dragged back into the dark. 

“Evan!” Craig grabbed one of the rusting, heavy fire pokers from the mantle, running towards the hall. Brian grabbed him, pulling him back into the corner. “What the fuck are you doing?” 

“Don't! It's gonna kill you too!” Brian wailed. 

Somewhere in the dark, a little girl giggled. 

“What the fuck! What the fuck!” Daithi screamed. “Fucking do something!” 

“Evan! Evan!” Smitty screamed, running past Craig to where Evan had dropped his flashlight, drops of blood dotting the floor. 

“Help me! Help!” Evan bawled as he was dragged back to the laundry room. The clown dropped his feet, laughing at him as it lunged at him, it’s gloved hand pressing over his face as if to suffocate him. 

“What’s wrong, pretty boy?” The clown laughed. Evan wailed, hitting at the clown who grabbed his wrist painfully, laughing as it pretended to bite his fingers. Blood and spit from its mouth dripped onto Evan. “So tasty! I’ll eat you all up!” 

“Get off him!” Craig screamed, suddenly ramming the sharp end of the fire poker into the clown’s skull. The clown wailed, letting go of Evan long enough for Craig to grab him and drag him to his feet. The clown reached it’s hand for the fire poker, yanking it from its head. 

“Did you check under the bed, Craigy?” The clown laughed. The clown suddenly began to grow a snout, it’s eyes rolling back into its head. Bloody, ragged fur grew out its scalp and down it’s back. The creature lumbered towards them on long legs, it's long arms that ended with large hands and sharp claws reaching for them. The boys screamed, fleeing back down the hall to the others. Craig grabbed Smitty, almost throwing him over his shoulder as they ran for the stairs. The creature staggered after them, it’s claws reaching for Daithi.

They heard him scream as the claws raked across his back. 

“Go!” Craig screamed as they fled up the stairs. “Get out! Get out!” 

They reached the top of the stairs, slamming the door closed behind them. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I've been feeling pretty sick lately. I'm feeling better now though! Thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoy the chapter!!

 

The alarm clock screamed.

A hand reached out from under the quilt, reaching for the clock on the bedside table. The alarm went quite. The hand slowly slid back under the quilt. 

Five minutes later, the alarm went off again. The quilt flew off the tired teenage boy, his hand crashing down on to the top of the alarm clock. The alarm turned off. Birds sang. 

It had stopped raining at last, the sky starting to clear. 

Summer was finally here. 

Tyler yawned, running a hand through his blonde hair. His bright eyes turned back to the other side of the bed Evan normally slept. The white pillowcase still faintly smelt like the shampoo he used. Tyler found himself falling back onto the bed, pressing his face into the pillow. He wished that Evan had stayed the night again. He didn’t want to let him go Saturday evening after band practice. He had seemed so scared and yesterday on the phone it sounded like he didn’t want to be alone. Tyler felt bad. He wanted to hold Evan, to make sure he was okay. He wanted to understand what Evan felt, wanted to understand what it was that scared him so much, but he found it had to believe that it was a monstrous clown. 

_ There is no such thing as monsters.  _

Tyler pushed himself up and got off his bed. He got dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the right pant leg ripped at the knee. He packed his bag, putting a joint into his front pocket for later. He stepped into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, running a comb through his hair. Downstairs, he set his backpack down by the door and headed into the small kitchen, getting himself a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal. His mom sat at the table, a book in hand. On the fridge, hanging by a magnet, was a photo of Tyler and Evan when they were ten. Tyler was missing his two front teeth and Evan’s black hair stuck out in all directions. Tyler sat down at the table, eating his breakfast in silence. 

“Have you decided what you want to do for your birthday on Saturday?” His mom asked quietly. 

“Dunno yet. Probably just hang out with Evan and the guys.” Tyler shrugged. 

“Prom is this Friday right?”

“Yeah, mom.”

“Have you asked anyone to go with you yet?” 

“I might ask Evan…” Tyler said cautiously, his eyes slowly raising to look up at her. She blinked, then smiled. 

“That’d be nice. The flower shop by my work is selling corsages. I’ll get you some. Make sure to let me know what colours you want.” Tyler smiled, letting out a small sigh of relief. He’d have to ask Evan what colour his suit is so they could match. He wondered if he should surprise Evan with flowers and a silly poster board like he had seen other people do. 

Evan might think that's cheesy. 

He finished his breakfast quickly, getting up to place his bowl in the sink. 

“Bye, mom. Love you.” Tyler called out as he pulled on his shoes and headed for the front door, pulling his bag over his shoulder. 

“Love you too, hun!” 

Outside the warm sunlight washed over the damp lawn. Tyler unlocked the truck, the door creaking open. He tossed his bag in the back and got in. The truck rumbled to life and pulled out of the driveway. He stopped at a 7-11 to get coffee for him and Evan, putting extra sugar in Evan’s. 

“You can’t even taste the coffee!” Tyler had said once after trying it. Evan laughed. 

“What? I like it sweet!” He had smiled brightly. Tyler found himself smiling too, taking another sip from the sickly sweet coffee. 

_ Evan’s smile is contagious.  _

Once the coffee cups were safe in the truck’s cupholders, Tyler began the quick drive over to Evan’s place. He missed living just down the street from his best friend. He wondered how far away from each other they would be living from each other come September. Tyler wanted Evan to do what made him happy, but a vile, jealous part of him didn’t want Evan to leave for school. Tyler had no idea what he would be doing or where he’d be going come September. He figured he’d get a job, figured he’d probably settle down at some point, figured he’d end up suffocating in this town like his parents. 

“If you leave…” Tyler had whispered one night, his eyes drifting over to the black haired boy who laid beside him, his features dimly illuminated by the orange streetlamp from outside. “Promise me you won’t forget about me…” 

“I could never forget about you, Tyler…” Evan had breathed, moving closer to Tyler. The blonde boy felt his forehead touch his. Snow fell softly over the hibernating town. “I’ll never forget you...I promise.” Evan’s hand found Tyler’s in the dark. Tyler’s heart had raced. “Cross my heart and hope to die…” 

The old blue truck turned onto Evan’s street, the warm early summer light washing over the quiet neighbourhood. Lush green trees lined the street. Large, old homes with perfect front lawns stared at the rusting truck as it passed. Tyler drove past the house he had spent most of his childhood in. He didn’t look at it. 

It was some other kid’s childhood home now. 

The old blue truck turned onto Evan’s driveway. 

Tyler froze, his brow furrowing. 

Huddled on the front porch of the large house was a group of boys, all of them sharing one blanket. One of them raised his head at the sound of the familiar rumble, his black hair falling over his eyes. There was blood on his chin. The boy’s dark eyes widened. He got up quickly, but not too quickly that he would wake the younger boy that sat beside him. Tyler quickly got out of the truck, not bothering to close the door. Evan stumbled down the porch's front steps ran to him, knocking the air from Tyler’s chest as he wrapped his arms around the taller boy, pressing his face against his shoulder. Gravel stuck to the bottom of Evan's socks. 

“T-Tyler…” Evan sobbed. 

“Hey...It’s okay. I’m right here. I got you.” Tyler said soothingly, rubbing Evan’s back. “I got you. It’s okay…” 

“No...It’s not okay...It came back!” Evan wailed. 

“What do you mean? What came back?” 

“The clown!” Tyler’s eyes lifted to the house. Craig stood on the steps. He looked exhausted. Tyler pulled away from the hug, his chest suddenly hot with anger. 

“Was it the guys? Did they pull a prank on you? Why are you covered in blood?” Tyler demanded, his hands tight on Evan’s shoulders.  “Have you been outside all night?” 

“It wasn’t them…” Evan gasped, his dark eyes locked on Tyler’s. “It was real.” 

“Evan…” Tyler sighed. 

“I saw it, Tyler. Everyone fucking saw it!” 

“He’s not lying, Tyler,” Craig called out. Tyler’s jaw clenched. He let go of Evan, storming up the front path to the purple haired boy who nervously stepped back from the taller boy. 

“What the fuck did you do? Whose fucking idea was it to scare Evan?” Tyler snarled. 

“No one! What are you talking about?” Craig cried. “We were attacked by something! It came through the window downstairs! It almost killed Daithi and Evan! You should be thanking me! They would be dead if it wasn't for me!” 

“Thanking you?” Tyler yelled. 

“Everything alright, boys?” They turned, their attention turning to the mother who lived across the street standing by her silver coloured minivan, her eight-year-old daughter standing beside her. The girl stared at them with a curious expression, her blonde hair held off her face in braided pigtails. 

“Fine,” Evan called back, rubbing at the dried blood on his chin. 

“Alright...You boys had better hurry to school now. Don’t want to be late.” She said before turning back to her daughter. They waited in silence for the minivan to back out of the driveway. The second it was around the corner and out of sight, the boys turned back to each other, Craig’s eyes dark with rage, Tyler’s hands curled into fists. 

“It’s real, Tyler! We’ve all seen it! It wanted to eat us alive!” Craig yelled. 

“There’s no such thing as monsters, Craig!” Tyler yelled back. “Demons and clowns or whatever the fuck you said you saw don’t kill people, people kill people!” 

“Tyler please!” Evan reached for his hand, holding it tightly. “Craig isn’t lying...I know how fucking crazy this sounds...But I would never lie to you!” Evan held up his palm, the white scar running across it. “Remember? You have to believe us.” Tyler stared at the scar on Evan’s hand. He remembered the blood on the bathroom floor, remembered how much it had stung when Evan ran the knife over his palm. He also remembered the sting of hearing his parents yell at each other, threaten each other, hearing their silence. He remembered the fear that had found its home in his chest almost a year ago and the countless what-ifs that ran through his mind.

Those fears are real. 

He had forced himself to stop being scared of the monsters under his bed the second the first box was loaded into the moving truck and the ink on the papers was only starting to dry.

_ Humans are monsters.  _

However, the terror in Evan’s eyes was real. The blood on his face was real. The blood caked onto the back of Daithi’s shirt was real. The paleness of Smitty’s face was real. The tears falling from Craig’s eyes are real. The tremble that rattled Brian’s hands was real. 

“Can we talk about this inside, please?” Tyler sighed. “At least let’s start with you guys getting the blood and taking care of Daithi, then we’ll talk, okay?” 

“We can’t go back in there.” Brian shook his head. He was the only one who hadn’t gotten up, the blanket wrapped around him tightly. 

“I-I...I agree...I don’t want to go in there.” Evan whispered. 

“This is your fucking house!” Tyler snapped, instantly regretting the frustration in his tone when he saw Evan flinch. Sighing, Tyler clasped Evan’s hands in his. “This is your house. It’s not the clown’s or whatever it was that you saw. You can’t let it take your home from you.” Tyler said, his eyes locked on Evan’s. Evan tore his gaze away from Tyler’s, his dark eyes on the front door. “We’re right behind you. You aren’t alone.” Tyler said softly. Evan nodded. Slowly, he let go of Tyler’s hands and reached for the door handle. 

The boys braced to run. 

Evan pushed open the door. 

 

The classroom door opened, the young boy scurrying into the hall. The door closed behind him. He glanced nervously up and down the long hallway of the high school’s second floor. First period classes were still in session, the soft, droning voices of teacher’s floating into the empty hall. Posters for prom lined the walls. “Seniors! Remember to vote for your prom king and queen!” One of them read in bright gold letters. 

The boy’s hands shook as he reached into his back pocket for the small pill bottle he had stolen from his mother’s cabinet this morning, the caffeine pills shaking around in the bottle. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a full night’s sleep. 

There was always something creeping around the shadows of his room, just outside the white line he had drawn under his rug to keep himself safe at night. 

There was always something standing right outside his window, smiling at him. 

There was always something watching from the porch of the abandoned house next door. 

“Marcel, honey, what’s wrong? You’ve been so...jumpy lately.” His mother had said when she accidentally let the front door slam one afternoon, making Marcel jump so hard he had dropped the glass of milk in his hand. Marcel hadn’t been able to answer her as he mopped up the spilt milk. She wouldn’t believe him. No one believed him except Scotty, his closest friend since grade five. Marcel would walk through the halls at school, exhausted and haunted by that eyeless, smiling face that waited for him to slip up. He would walk past a group of loud grade 12s, only the nice one that worked at the diner on Main street noticing the exhaustion sprawled across his face. He would push past a group of rowdy grade nine and ten’s, all of them oblivious to the thing that lurked through the town. He would sit in his classes, surrounded by other grade eleven students, all of them trapped somewhere between childhood and adulthood, all of them trapped by the tall, eyeless man. 

“We should set that place on fire.” Marcel had said one night to Scotty. “It’s evil.” 

Now, almost one year after it had begun, it seemed that the whole town was infected with this evil parasite.

One kid was dead already. 

Marcel knew it was going to kill again, it was only a matter of time. 

He felt sick as he struggled to get the bottle open. 

The sound of voices at the end of the hall made Marcel jump. Jonathan and Ryan reached the top of the stairs, not caring if they disturbed classes with their loud voices. Panic seized Marcel’s chest. He scurried across the hall to the boy’s bathroom, closing the door behind him quickly. He leaned against it, praying they wouldn’t come in here. 

_ The tall man isn’t the only monster in town.  _

He managed to get the lid off the bottle and took one of the caffeine pills as he stepped away from the door towards the sinks. He turned on the tap, the cold water swirling down the drain. He bent over the sink, drinking some of the cold water. His eyes closed. 

The harsh white light flickered. 

Something warm spilt over Marcel’s face. A metallic taste filled his mouth. 

He recoiled from the sink, his eyes opening wide. 

Blood covered his face, the taste of it filling his mouth. It dripped down his chin and onto his shirt. 

Blood oozed from the tap, clogging the drain. 

Marcel gagged, spitting blood onto the floor. 

His eyes looked up at his reflection in the mirror. 

His bloodied reflection looked back at him, a wide, sharp-toothed smile on its face. 

It had no eyes. 

Marcel screamed, stumbling backwards. His sneakers slipped on the wet, bloody floor. He crashed to the tiled floor, crying out in pain. 

His reflection laughed. 

It’s long arms reached out of the mirror as if it were an open window, pulling itself out of the glass. Blood overflowed over the edge of the sink. 

“Stay away from me!” Marcel screamed, scrambling back on the bloody floor. The Tall Man laughed, it’s legs reaching down onto the bloody floor. 

The school bell rang, bringing the first period to an end and drowned out Marcel’s screams. 

“I'm going to eat you all up…” The Tall Man stumbled towards Marcel, blood cascading from the sink and across the floor. It covered Marcel’s face and his clothes, his hands slipping on the bloody floor as he scrambled back from the monster. 

The door suddenly opened. 

The sound of screaming deafened Marcel’s ears. 

The group of boys standing in the doorway screamed, letting go of the door handle to run. Marcel scrambled to his feet, slipping on the blood as the door was caught before it could close. 

“What the fuck is that?” Someone screamed. The Tall Man laughed as it retreated back into the mirror. Marcel got to his feet, blood flying through the air as he ran, pushing past the boys who screamed in horror. The hallway was suddenly filled with terrified kids. Some of them pushed through the crowd to look inside the bloody bathroom while others who had seen it or Marcel, covered head to toe in blood, cowered in horror.

“Marcel!” Scotty grabbed him, making him scream. “Holy shit! Are you okay?” 

“It found me...It was here…” Marcel stammered, tears streaming down his face. 

“We’re getting out of here.” Scotty pulled Marcel through the crowd towards the stairs, blood smearing onto the floor and anyone who got close to him. 

Jonathan and Ryan watched from the edge of the crowd. Jonathan was smiling, enjoying the terror of the younger kids, but there was an undeniable hint of horror in his eyes. 

 

The basement was dark. Everything was exactly where they had left it. Brightly coloured Uno cards littered the floor, the flashlight still on, the fire poker on the floor in the hallway to the laundry room, Evan’s guitar leaning against the couch. 

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hand clutching the railing tightly, Evan glanced around the basement. He heard the sound of the fire poker scraping against the concrete as Tyler picked it up. In the kitchen upstairs, he could hear Craig and Brian’s quiet voices, could hear Smitty’s spoon clink against the bowl as he ate cereal, could hear Daithi’s foot tapping against the floor. 

“There’s nothing down here,” Tyler said as he appeared at the entrance to the hall. Evan shook his head. 

“Did you not see the broken window? It crawled in through that.” Evan struggled to explain. 

“Are you sure it wasn’t just an animal or something? It was a pretty bad storm last night. Maybe it was a stray dog.” Tyler said, crossing the basement to put the fire poker back where it belonged. 

“No...No it was not an animal, Tyler. Why won’t you believe us?” Evan cried. Tyler said nothing. He simply knelt down on the carpeted floor, cleaning up the cards that were scattered across the floor. Evan stared at him, his chest tightening with anger. Tyler turned off the flashlight. “Why won’t you believe me, Tyler? Tell me!” Evan hit his fist on the railing. Tyler sat back on his heels, looking up the boy he had known since he was four years old. 

“I want to believe you, Evan. I know you’d never lie to me. I love you and I don’t want to hurt you or upset you...but there’s no such thing as monsters or demons or whatever it was you think you saw. People are monsters, Evan. That shit that happened last year, that was people! The shit my dad did, the shit your mom says to you, every bad thing, that’s people! People are the real monsters! I wish there was a such thing as demons! I wish there was a zombie under my bed! I wish that was all I had to be scared of!” Tyler cried. “Those things aren’t real though...I’m sorry you keep seeing these things…” Tyler sighed. “Maybe...Maybe you need to talk to someone...Like a professional or something.” 

“I’m not crazy,” Evan said through gritted teeth. “Everybody upstairs saw it too.” His eyes welled up with tears. He had thought he could tell Tyler everything, thought that he would listen and understand, thought that he would believe him. 

“Are you sure?” Tyler sighed. Evan’s hands curled into fists. 

The basement light flickered. 

Evan's nails dug into his palms. 

An anger that was not his filled his chest. 

A small shadow crossed the hall behind Tyler. 

“I hate you.” Evan spat. Tyler's eyes widened. Evan turned, storming up the stairs to the kitchen. Tyler stared at the spot where Evan had just been, confusion and hurt running across his face. A cold pocket of air around him made him shiver. Evan reached the kitchen, grabbing Tyler’s bag off the kitchen table. He rummaged through it, finding a joint and Tyler’s lighter in the front pocket.

“Evan?” Tyler called out as he hurried up the stairs. Craig and the others watched as Evan stormed into the backyard, frantically trying to the light the joint. He didn’t know why he said that, he didn’t mean it and he never would but his head was so clouded with anger and fear, he couldn’t think straight. He couldn't shake this rage that clung to him. The small flame flickered against the end of the joint, lighting it. The back door opened. “Evan!” Evan took a drag, smoke billowing around him as he exhaled. “Evan!” Tyler’s hand reached for his shoulder. The younger boy hit his hand away. 

“Fuck off!” Evan yelled. 

“I didn’t mean it like that...It’s just...Seeing things like that and being so stressed out can’t be good!” 

“Who said I’m stressed out?” Evan spat, taking another drag. Tyler rolled his eyes. “Fuck you.” Evan stormed away from Tyler, heading around the house to the front lawn. In the front window, the other boys watched them, ducking behind the curtains when Evan glanced in their direction. 

“Stop fucking running away from me and just talk to me!” Tyler yelled after him. “I’m trying to find a reasonable explanation to all of this!” 

“Sometimes things aren’t fucking reasonable!” Evan yelled back, turning to look at him. Smoke clouded around him. “Sometimes you just can’t explain things! It happened! I know what I saw!” 

“I don’t know what you want me to say!” Tyler cried. Tears fell from Evan’s eyes. “Evan...I’m sorry…” Tyler sighed. “Do you...Do you really hate me?” Tyler’s voice broke. 

Evan’s heart ached. 

He hadn’t meant it. 

_ He loved Tyler.  _

“Holy shit!” The front door suddenly slammed open, hitting the wall. Evan turned. Stumbling down the sidewalk was two boys, one of them covered in blood. Craig ran down the driveway towards them, asking if they were okay. 

“Are you hurt? Somebody call for an ambulance!” Brain cried out, hurrying after Craig. 

“N-No...I’m fine!” The bloodied boy managed to say. He glanced up, his eyes landing on Evan as he slowly made his way down the front lawn towards them, Tyler close behind. There was a look of recognition in his eyes. 

“What happened?” Craig asked. “Whose blood is that?” 

“Y-You won’t believe me.” The bloodied boy said quietly, shaking his head. His friend looked concerned. 

Evan stepped forward. He knew what had happened. 

“What did you see?” 

 

“I call it the Tall Man…” Marcel said quietly, his eyes on the kitchen table. Around him stood the group of boys he barely knew. Evan had given him some clothes to change into and showed him to the guest bathroom where he washed off the blood. Marcel felt better now but the fear that had found its home in his chest refused to leave. Behind him stood Scotty, his hand occasionally rubbing Marcel’s shoulder when it became hard for him to talk. Evan sat across him, the slight buzz from the joint he had stolen from Tyler long gone. His dark eyes watched the younger boy as he struggled to explain what had happened to him. Tyler stood behind Evan, his hand on the back of his chair, too nervous to touch him again. Smitty glanced between Marcel and Evan, hoping that Evan would come up with something that would fix all of this. Craig and Daithi sat on either side of the table between Marcel and Evan, looking pale as they listened to Marcel’s story. Brian sat on the counter, his feet gently kicking against the cabinet door below him. “It started off just in dreams...Nothing I couldn't handle. I just forgot about it in the morning. Then it...It seemed to get stronger, appearing in real life. I saw it outside my bedroom window first. It doesn’t have eyes but it was staring at me...It looked hungry. It scared the shit out of me. I never open my blinds now. Even when they are closed, I know it’s standing on the other side of the glass.” 

“Jesus Christ…” Brian muttered. 

“You call it the tall man...cause of its limbs, right?” Craig asked quietly. Marcel nodded. 

“It’s a silly name…” 

“No, it’s not...It makes sense.” Craig whispered. “I saw it under my bed...it was crouched like a spider under there.” The others shuddered. 

“It’s been getting stronger. It’s been appearing further and further away from it came from.” Scotty explained. “I live in the new part of town but it still found its way into my house. It’s like it’s been finding every kid in town and terrifying them.” Evan glanced at Tyler. Almost every kid. “It was at the school this morning.” Tyler tensed. 

“Where did it come from?” Daithi asked. Marcel took a deep breath. 

“You know that...abandoned house a few blocks away from here?” Marcel managed to say. 

“Fuck.” Daithi put his hands over his face. 

“I fucking knew it,” Craig said. 

“It’s coming from inside there…It started happening a year ago exactly.” Marcel said. The older boys looked disturbed. Silence hung over the kitchen. Birds sang outside. A few doors down, a retired man was mowing his front lawn. 

“What happened a year ago?” Smitty asked innocently. The whole room seemed to take a breath, no one wanting to speak. Smitty had moved to town only three months after that night happened and by then, no one had wanted to talk about it anymore. 

Outside, a warm wind played with the green leaves on the trees. A car passed by. 

“I don’t know if we should tell you, Smitty. It’s...It’s not something a kid should hear.” Evan said quietly. 

“You guys are kids too.” Smitty pointed out. 

“We’re almost adults. You’re just starting high school, Smitt.” Brain said as if that made any difference. 

“Tell me. Please. I can handle it.” Smitty said. “If it’s the abandoned house I’m thinking of...I’ve been there. That was where I first saw the...the Tall Man. I was running away from Jonathan.” 

“Asshole.” Evan hissed, his hands curling into fists. 

“I want to know what happened a year ago there.” Smitty insisted. 

“Fine.” Marcel sighed. The older boys tensed, not wanting to hear what Marcel was about to say. Brian put his hands over his ears. Evan found himself reaching for Tyler’s hand but he moved away from his grasp. Smitty stared at Marcel, a part of him regretting that he had asked about it. Marcel met Smitty’s gaze. “Two kids...died in that house a year ago...” 


	6. Chapter 6

_ Nothing ever happens here.  _

Most people in small towns believe that.

They believe that nothing bad will ever happen to them. 

They believe that right up until the minute the local news station brings you the bad news, until you hear your neighbours gossiping, until you find yourself sitting by your front window, watching the police lights flash, red and blue, red and blue, red and blue. 

One year ago, the small quiet suburban street had been full of police cars. Not even three hours earlier, children had been playing in their driveways and riding bikes up and down the street, teenagers had been walking to their friend's houses after dinner and parents had been settling in to watch a movie or read till their eyes couldn't stay open any longer. 

Now, the entire town was under a lockdown imposed not by authority but by fear. 

_ It's dangerous out there.  _

Parents watched from front windows. Children that should be asleep watched from their bedroom windows, not quite understanding what they were seeing. 

Marcel had snuck out onto the porch of his house, his mom and dad standing with their neighbour from across the street by the sidewalk. Someone was crying loudly.

Police lights illuminated the houses red and blue, red and blue. 

Lui sat by his window, his big eyes watching the street. He’d tell Evan, his math tutor and best friend in the whole wide world about it the next time he saw him. 

A few blocks away, Daithi’s mom came upstairs to check on him, her face pale. He reassured her that he was fine and gave her a hug. 

Not far away from his house, Tyler’s mom contemplated calling Brian’s mother to tell her that she wanted Tyler to come home but she worried that he’d get mad at her. She told herself that he’d be fine and forced herself to go back to bed. 

Evan's mom called Brian's mother but received no answer as she was asleep. So she sat by the front window until Evan got home and she would ground him for a week for not calling her. 

At Brian’s house in the new part of town, music played from his basement. Bottles and cider cans covered the pool table. Tyler took another shot from the old vodka bottle before slouching down onto the old leather couch. Brian sat across the room, a nervous look on his face. Craig sat on the floor by Brian, swaying in time the music. Evan stood by the pool table, his dark eyes on the full shot glass in front of him. 

Two kids are dead. 

And what were they doing? Drinking in a basement. Evan’s dark eyes welled up with tears. Two kids who would have started grade nine in the fall. Two kids who had everything in front of them, waiting. 

Two kids. 

Gone. Just like that. 

Evan’s fingers curled around the shot glass. 

What could he do? 

Nothing but drink in a basement. They couldn’t leave. They couldn’t help. They had to wait until the sun rose. 

How close were all of them to death?

How many times had he walked past that house? 

How many times had he been close to death? 

How many more times would he be close to death? 

How much time did he have? 

Evan took the shot. 

The hard alcohol burned his throat and chest as it went down. His head spun. His hands gripped the edge of the pool table. 

The music sounded louder. 

He didn’t know what song was playing or who sung it but he liked it. He liked the way it made him feel. His hips slowly swayed in time to the music. 

Evan stepped away from the pool table, spinning around a few times. He began to dance in the centre of the large room, the three other boys watching him. He ran his hands through his black hair and down his neck and over his chest. His dark eyes locked onto Tyler’s glossy stare, his cheeks a drunken red colour. Tyler watched him dance, watched the way his hips swayed, the way he drunkenly swung his arms, the way his dark eyes seemed to drink him in like he too was a shot of burning alcohol. Evan savoured Tyler’s gaze on him. 

A part of him hoped that he had drunk enough that he would forget about this night. 

Evan closed his eyes, his arms spreading out as he spun. 

Tears fell from Evan’s eyes just like they would one year later as he listened to Marcel tell Smitty about what happened to those kids. 

“Something evil happened that night and it let that thing in,” Marcel said quietly. “It lives off fear. It gets a kick out of it. I heard it laugh at me today.” 

“I have a question.” Brian’s feet stopped kicking. Evan rubbed away the tears in his eyes. Tyler’s hands had curled into fists, his gaze refusing to land on Evan. Both them of were thinking about the same thing. 

“What?” Marcel turned in his chair to look at the blonde boy. 

“I didn’t see the Tall Man and I don’t think Evan did either. Something still attacked us though. It wanted to kill us.” Brian explained. 

“It changed shape in front of me and you, Evan.” Craig pointed out. “It went from a clown to that...beast.” 

“I’ve thought about it...I mean, there isn’t really anything else I can do when I can’t sleep cause of that thing except try to figure out what the fuck it is. Scotty said he saw a big dog like thing and he’s scared of dogs. It changes shape, right? Evan, what did you see first?” 

“A clown.” 

“Are you scared of clowns? Or rather, were you scared of clowns when you were a kid?” 

“Yeah…” Evan nodded. “I-I...I went with my parents to a circus when I was three...and there was a clown there. It terrified me. It’s one of my first memories. I still get nightmares about it…” 

“What did you see, Brian?” Marcel asked. 

“I didn’t really see it...It was more of like where it was. I was doing laps at the pool and it came out of the ventilation system…” 

“Oh my god.” Craig sounded sick. 

“When I was younger...I always thought there was a monster in there...It freaked me out.” Brian shuddered. 

“What about you, Craig? You said it was under your bed? Did you use to think that there was something under your bed?” Marcel asked. Craig nodded. “Do you see the pattern?” Marcel glanced around at the others. “It shapeshifts into what you are terrified of or what you used to be scared of as a kid.” 

“Listen to you guys.” Tyler sighed. “Even if this thing is real and not just some bizarre mass hallucination, how do you plan to get rid of it? You can’t just burn down a house that’s how you get arrested. I'm not getting arrested.” 

_ Again _ , Evan thought.  

“We have to confirm it’s coming from that house,” Craig said. “Then we’re going to kill it. Evan and I agreed that we would kill it and that’s what we’re gonna do.” Evan glanced up at Craig, not noticing the flash of jealousy on Tyler’s face.

“Kill it?” Marcel laughed. “Good luck. I have no idea how to kill it and I don’t want to know. I want to stay alive. If you want my help protecting yourself from it, I got you. But killing it? You’re on your own.” 

“You said it got stronger? What if adapts? Like a virus.” Daithi said. “If it can get stronger, then it’ll break your walls eventually, Marcel. It almost killed me last night. I want to kill it too. I want to kill it today. I want to go home to my bed and go to sleep knowing that I’m going to be safe.” 

“He’s right. I won’t feel safe until that thing is gone.” Brian nodded. Craig and Evan agreed. 

“How do you know that you can kill it?” Marcel asked. “It’s not human.” Evan closed his eyes, remembering how the fire poker had gone right through the clown’s skull but it did not stop it. His hands gripped the edge of the table tightly. 

“Everything can be stopped,” Craig said sharply. 

“Jesus Christ. So what, you’re gonna go in there and just start swinging?” Scotty cried. Craig glanced at the others and shrugged. 

“What else are we supposed to do? Wait until it rips us apart like it ripped Lui apart?” Craig cried. Evan closed his eyes tightly, wishing that Craig hadn’t said that. “We have to do something.” 

"I don't...I don't know..." Marcel sighed. "I don't want to get hurt." 

“I don’t want any more to kids to die…” Evan’s voice broke. “It’s summer...School is almost over. Us...Kids we know...everyone...shouldn’t have to be looking over their shoulders everywhere they go because of that thing. I want to send it back to wherever the fuck it came from. I don't care if I get hurt.” He looked up at Craig. “I’m in.” 

“Me too,” Smitty said quickly. The other boys agreed. Marcel sighed, they were right. Evan slowly turned to look up at Tyler. The taller boy seemed frustrated, a part of him still not wanting to believe. 

He hadn’t seen it. 

_ Maybe because he wasn’t a kid anymore.  _

All of the boys stared at him. Tyler chewed the inside of his lip. 

He didn't want Evan to go alone and get hurt. 

“Fine.” He finally said. “But you can’t go in there unarmed.” 

 

The old blue truck cruised down the street, it’s truck bed full of young warriors dressed in makeshift armour, armed with fire pokers and golf clubs. Smitty stood on the truck bed, his left hand gripping the roof of the cab, his right hand curled around a golf club, a bike helmet on his head, roller shaking pads on his knees and elbows. He hollered into the wind, the warm air tugging at his t-shirt. Brian stood beside him, football pads covering his shoulders, his hands gloved. He laughed as Tyler took a sharp turn, the group in the back nearly falling out. Daithi, Marcel and Scotty clung to the sides of the truck, too nervous to stand up. Like Brian and Smitty, they had found armour where they could in Evan’s garage, attic and basement; soccer cleats, knee and elbow pads, helmets and makeshift padded vests made out of rags and cotton balls. Evan sat beside Smitty, his gloved hand gripping the back of Smitty’s shirt, ready to pull him away from the edge if he were to fall. Evan sweated under his old hockey gear, the white bars of his helmet obscuring some of his vision.

In the side mirror, he could see Tyler’s reflection, could see him glance back a few times at them. 

“Tyler…” Evan had tried to catch up to him as they were loading into the truck. “Tyler, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you. I lo-" 

"Evan...It sounded like you meant it." Tyler sighed. "It hurt." 

"I'm sorry," Evan said quietly, reaching his hand out for Tyler. 

“Can we talk about this later?” Tyler glanced at Marcel who was watching them curiously. Evan had watched Tyler get into the truck before climbing into the back, playfully shoving Smitty over. Craig had glanced at him before getting into the front with Tyler. 

“Are you guys okay?” Marcel had asked Evan as the truck pulled out of the driveway. 

“I don’t know...I just...I said something I didn’t mean and Tyler’s understandably pissed…I don’t know why I said it...It was like...something just came over me.” Evan sighed. Marcel stared at him. “It wasn’t me who said that...” 

“It’ll be okay, Evan,” Smitty said. “I know it will be!” Evan had smiled at Smitty, pulling him into a hug, his helmet knocking against his. 

Now, the truck was nearing the old abandoned house. Evan watched the houses fly past. His dark eyes lingered on Lui’s house. 

“What do you think we’ll find in there?” Brian asked. 

“It’s probably been emptied out...Though I don’t know. I never saw anyone come by to take everything out. It could still have...stuff inside.” Marcel cringed at the thought. 

“Did you know the kids?” Evan asked. Marcel nodded. 

“They were a few years younger than me...a boy and a girl. They were siblings. They were nice. We played together a few times. Their parents though…” Marcel paused. “I was scared of them. For good reason, I guess.” 

“Jesus.” Daithi shook his head, the straps of his helmet fluttering around his face. 

“I still don’t really want to go in there,” Marcel said. Scotty nodded, his distant gaze on the houses flying past. 

“I don’t think any of us do but we have to. I believe Craig...” Brian said quietly. Marcel’s dark eyes flickered to the back window of the truck, catching a glimpse of Craig’s purple hair. 

“When did Craig become the leader of your band?” Marcel asked quietly, a bitter twinge in his voice. Brian awkwardly cleared his throat. 

The truck came to a stop out front of the abandoned house.  The boys piled out of the back, their armour weighing them down. Tyler moved past Evan, his eyes on the old house. Its walls were peeling, it’s windows boarded up. It had once been painted a beautiful forest green but now it was a disgusting faded puke green. The front lawn was overgrown, wildflowers and weeds growing up everywhere, the stone path cracked and broken, weeds growing up through the cement. Crushed cans and trash littered the lawn. Graffiti scrawled across the walls. The front steps and porch were riddled with splinters. There was a bouquet of dead flowers by the front door. 

Smitty looked pale, the golf club in his hands trembling. 

“Why don’t you stay out here, Smitty?” Evan asked softly. Smitty looked up at him, shaking his head. 

“I want to go with you.” 

“We need someone to guard us out here and I trust you the most to protect us.” Evan smiled. Smitty hesitated before nodding. 

“Okay…” 

“I’ll wait with him.” Scotty said, leaning against the truck. “I don’t really want to go in there…”  

“Figured,” Craig said over his shoulder, getting a glare from Marcel. “Alright...One hour. If we’re not out by then...get help, okay?” 

“Don’t you think one hour is a little long?” Tyler asked. He was the only one not wearing armour but he was holding the heavy baseball bat he kept in his truck. There was a nail sticking out of the top. Evan remembered walking up the driveway to Tyler's garage, watching him hammer the nail into it. Evan hadn't asked any questions. “How about half an hour?” 

“You don’t know how long this could take! Stabbing it once isn’t gonna do the trick, Tyler!” Craig snapped. 

“Well, you’re apparently the expert, Craig.” Tyler rolled his eyes. 

“If you don’t want to be here, you can leave! No one is forcing you to be here! You can thank us later when you don’t get attacked!” Craig yelled. Evan sighed, adjusting his helmet. 

“I haven’t been attacked, Craig! I haven’t seen shit unless you want to call some tired trick of the eye seeing something!” Tyler cried. Evan’s eyes widened. “And I won’t see anything and I won’t be attacked.” 

“You are an asshole, you know that?” 

“Enough!” Evan yelled. The two stopped, their attention turning to the short boy who looked even smaller under all his heavy gear. “Thirty-five minutes. Can we get this over with please?” The sound of an engine rumbling startled them. They turned, watching the black sports car speed around the corner. “Fuck…” The old back sports car came to a screeching halt in front of the truck, nearly ramming into it.

“Look at you fucking losers! What is this? Baby fight club day or some shit?” Jonathan yelled as he got out. Ryan and Luke stayed in the car, amused looks on their faces. "Whatcha doing at the dead kid house?" 

“Go home, Jonathan!” Tyler snapped, his grip tightening on the bat. 

“And look who's joined the club! You got the bloody kids now too.” Jonathan laughed his eyes on Marcel and Scotty. “I heard some pretty interesting things about what happened this morning at school…” 

“You don’t understand and you never will.” Marcel snarled. “Asshole.” 

“What did you just call me?” Jonathan’s chest puffed as he stepped towards Marcel. Evan stepped between them, his dark eyes locked on Jonathan’s. 

“Tyler said go home, Jonathan,” Evan said, his tone sharp. 

“Or what?” Jonathan reached up, slamming his hand against Evan's helmet. Pain shot through Evan's left ear. Jonathan laughed, shoving Evan back. The dazed boy stumbled over his own feet. Brain caught him. “Look at him. Fucking path-” Jonathan suddenly fell to the dirty lawn, dust flying through the air. Tyler had shoved him violently to the ground, his bat now hovering over his head. Ryan and Luke got out of the car, bracing to run at Tyler if he dared hurt their friend. 

The nail at the end of the bat glinted in the hot sunlight. 

“Don’t fucking touch him.” Tyler snarled. Evan stared at Tyler, his helmet crooked. Jonathan looked up at Tyler, a smirk on his face. 

“Go on. Fucking hit me.” Jonathan taunted. “You won’t do it. You're too scared to spend another night in jail.” 

“Shut up!” Evan yelled, lunging at Jonathan to kick his ribs. Craig pulled him back. Tyler stared down at Jonathan, gritting his teeth. The hot sun washed over them. The house behind them watched. 

Tyler’s shadow seemed too tall to be his own. 

_ Kill him.  _

“I dare you, loser.” Jonathan smiled. 

_ Kill him.  _

“Tyler! Don’t listen to him.” Brian called out. 

_ Kill him.  _

Tyler raised the bat above his head. 

_ Kill him.  _

“Tyler!” Evan suddenly yelled. Tyler froze, his gaze locking onto Evan. Tyler heaved for air. He brought the bat down. The nail sank into the dirt beside Jonathan’s head. 

“Get the fuck out of here.” Tyler snarled. Jonathan scrambled to his feet, his eyes suddenly dark with rage. He was covered in dirt. 

Jonathan glanced at Marcel and Scotty for a moment before he snapped his gaze towards Evan. 

He smiled. 

“Have you voted for prom king yet, Ev?” Jonathan laughed. Evan’s eyes narrowed. Jonathan turned away from them, walking back to the car. 

“You’re in for it,” Ryan yelled as they got back into the car. No one moved until it had sped off down the road and out of sight. Evan stared at Tyler, his hands shaking. Tyler hadn’t looked like himself for a moment. Evan wanted to reach for Tyler, wanted to hug him but Craig and the others were already pushing him towards the splinter ridden steps and the front door of the old house. 

“Thirty-five minutes.” Scotty said as they reached the door. 

“Thirty-five minutes…” Evan breathed. 

Tyler took a deep breath and kicked down the door. Dust flew through the air. The smell of death and something rotting rushed to meet them. They could see nothing but darkness. 

_ Thirty-five minutes.  _

One by one, the group of boys stepped into the darkness. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited about this chapter! It was super challenging to write and I'm so happy with how it turned out!! I hope you enjoy it!

The floorboards creaked. 

Dust floated through the air. 

Tacky old floral wallpaper hung in peels from the walls. 

It smelled of rotting eggs and burnt hair, of animal faeces and candy apples. It was enough to make the boys gag when they first breathed in the stale air. Evan’s gloved hand pressed against the wall as he fought back another gag. 

His hand came away covered in dust. 

All of the windows were boarded, blocking out the warm summer sun. Only thin cracks of light found their way in, their small rays crisscrossing across the floor. 

Flurries of dust floated through the air. 

Moth-eaten curtains hung from rusting racks over the windows. 

There was a discarded toy truck on the floor in the front hall way, it’s blanket of dust shaken off when Brian tripped over it. 

The carpet had torn out but when Craig shone his flashlight on to the floor, there was still a dark stains on the wood. 

Somethings just couldn’t be washed away. 

Craig did his best to not look down. 

Despite the early summer heat outside, it was freezing inside. Perhaps it was just the cold that made Tyler shiver or maybe it was the idea of what had happened in this house. Either way, he found himself shivering as they slowly made their way down the narrow front hall. 

Tyler's grip tightened on the baseball bat. 

On their left was the living room, a large empty room save for a rotting couch in the corner. The wood floorboards creaked under their feet. 

To their right was what had once been the dining room. The table and chairs remained. 

_ There were four chairs.  _

In front of them was the staircase that lead up to the second floor. Through the dining room was a door that lead to the kitchen in the back of the old house. 

“I-I never thought I’d be in here…” Craig whispered from somewhere up ahead in the dark. Evan’s eyes fluttered over the faint silhouettes of the boys in front of him. “You see people’s houses and sometimes you think about what they look like inside but you know you’ll never go inside and see. So you stare at their windows as you go by, catching a glimpse of a world you’ll never know. You don't why exactly...but you think of what the kitchen might look like, what it might smell like...you think of what the bedrooms look like when a guest hasn’t been over in a while so it’s gotten messy...You think about how quiet their backyard might be...But you know you’ll go inside those places...This place...It looked so nice and warm before that night...At least...That’s what it looked like at a glimpse. I imagined that these kids had all the coolest toys and their mom was a baker and their dad like to go fishing on Sundays...I imagined that they had a trampoline in the backyard. I imagined that they were happy…” 

“I hope they were too…” Daithi breathed. 

Marcel's eyes lingered on the stained floor. 

“I want to get out of here…” Brian whispered. “This place feels wrong.” 

“Just a quick look...then we’re gone,” Craig said. 

“My...my mom is gonna be home this afternoon...She’d be so mad if...if she knew what we were doing right now…” Evan said as he followed the guys through the dark dining room, past the four chairs. His hockey helmet felt too tight, the white straps dangling around his neck. Each time they grazed against his skin he jumped. 

“She’s not gonna find out,” Craig reassured him. 

“Hey, Craig…” Daithi asked quietly as they reached the kitchen. The sink was covered with a dark sludge, the fridge door hung open, the cabinets in disarray. A vile stench hung in the air. Evan gagged again, his hands pressed over his nose and mouth. “What do we do if we find that thing? How do we kill it?” Daithi asked. Craig was quiet, his eyes on the dirty sink. 

There were still dishes in it, left forgotten. 

Craig turned, his flashlight fluttering the room. He shone the light on the group of boys behind him. They squinted at the blinding light. 

“You shouldn’t have said that out loud…” Brian whispered. “It’s listening to us.” Tyler laughed. 

"Listening to us..." Tyler repeated, rolling his eyes. 

“I don’t know...just...hit it.” Craig shrugged, ignoring Tyler. “Everything dies if you hit it hard enough.” Evan cringed at the thought. 

The vivid memory of seeing a dead bird at the side of the road when he was ten years old crossed his mind. He remembered standing on the grass between the road and the sidewalk, staring down at the large, dead crow, it’s black feathers the same shade as his hair. He remembered staring at it, remembered wondering why its wings looked so stiff, why it’s black eyes were so wide and unblinking. He remembered tears falling from his dark eyes to the dead grass, scorched by the August heat. 

“Hit it?” Marcel said, snapping Evan out of his thoughts. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I don’t want to go near it.” Daithi breathed.

“Then go wait outside.” Craig snapped. “You wanted to kill it! You knew what that meant coming in here!” 

“I changed my mind.” Daithi crossed his arms. Evan glanced nervously at Daithi. Behind him, Brian rubbed his padded arms, shivering. 

The back of Brian's neck prickled. 

Slowly, he turned to look at the door to the dining room. In the dark, he could see the small silhouette of a boy standing in the doorway. 

He was missing his left arm. 

Brian’s eyes widened. 

The little boy giggled, running back into the dining room, drops of blood splattering onto the floor and walls. Brian glanced back at the other boys, wondering if they had seen the little boy too but no one was looking, their angry attention focused on each other, their sharp words echoing through the dark. Brian glanced back at the empty doorway. He took a hesitant step forward, then another. He reached the doorway. The little boy stood in the hallway, his face illuminated by the dim light. He smiled when he saw Brian and started running towards the stairs. 

Brian found himself running too. 

His sneakers pounded on the stained wood floor. 

The sound of the boy’s giggle echoed through the dark. 

He reached the stairs, tripping over the first few steps. 

The helmet he had borrowed from Evan rocked back and forth. 

He tossed it off, letting it fall to the floor. 

He ran up the steps, already heaving for air. 

The smell of rotting eggs was stronger up here. 

He stopped at the top, his hand gripping the railing tightly. 

Splinters embedded themselves into his hand. 

The little boy giggled. 

Brian could hear the sound of water filling up a bathtub. 

He turned, looking down the hall. 

At the end was an open door to the bathroom, white neon light spilling onto the floor. Its floor was spotless, it’s white tiles scrubbed clean. Its walls were white. The mirror reflected the neon glow. He could see the edge of the porcelain tub. He glanced behind him at the dirty, peeling walls and the doors that stood open, leading to bedrooms that he’d rather not go inside. Slowly, Brian turned back to the bathroom, making his way down the creaking hall towards the light. 

His sneakers squeaked on the clean white tiled floor. 

The polished silver faucet was running, hot water spilling into the tub. 

Brian stared down into the clear water. 

A white plug was pressed into the drain. 

The water level crept higher, reaching for the rounded edge of the tub. 

The bathroom door slowly closed. 

Brian jumped, staring at the door. 

“No...no…” He lunged for the door, frantically trying to turn the handle but it would not budge. “Guys! Guys! Let me out! This isn’t funny!” Brian screamed. “Guys!” 

The white plug in the drain shifted. 

Brian hit at the door, heaving for air. 

The sound of water spilling over the edge of the tub caught his attention. 

He slowly turned, looking back into the tub. The dark eye of the drain stared back at him.

A long tentacle oozed from the drain. Brian’s eyes widened. It suddenly shot forward, wrapping around his wrist. Another tentacle shot from the drain, reaching for his other wrist. 

Brian screamed at the top of his lungs as it yanked him forward towards the water. He pulled at the ropes but they would not let go. 

Downstairs, Evan jumped at the sound of Brian’s horrified scream. 

“Brian!” Craig yelled, his eyes wide. 

“Where is he? Where the fuck did he go?” Marcel cried.

“Brian!” 

“Idiot probably fell through the floor. Somebody go get help!” Tyler hurried back through the dining towards the hall, the others following behind. Evan’s heart raced. “What the fuck?” A dark, peeling, rotting wall stood where the front door had been. Tyler spun on his heel, heading back to the kitchen where he was certain there had been a back door. Craig and Daithi ran for the stairs, following Brian’s screams. 

“Brian! Where are you?” Craig yelled. Marcel was staring at the wall where they were certain the front door had been, his chest rising and falling heavily. 

“Hey...Evan…” A snickering voice came from under the stairs. The two boys turned, stepping closer to each other. Marcel reached for Evan’s arm. 

From the darkness under the stairs, a tall, spider-like creature crawled across the floor. The Tall Man laughed as it scuttled towards them, it’s jaw snapping open and closed. Marcel and Evan screamed, backing up against the wall behind them. Marcel suddenly pulled away from Evan, sprinting towards the dining room. Evan stumbled after him, weighed down by the armour that Craig had thought would have been a good idea to wear. 

A clawed hand grabbed onto Evan’s shirt. 

He screamed as he was suddenly lifted off his feet and thrown forward as if he was nothing but a heap of clothes. 

He crashed onto the table, it’s old rotting legs breaking under the sudden force. 

Dust exploded into the air. 

Evan lay on the broken table, his dark eyes rolling back into his head. 

Upstairs, Craig and Daithi hit at the bathroom door, hearing Brian scream from the other side, hearing the sound of water spilling to the floor. 

“Fuck! Daithi, go find something to break the door down!” Craig ordered. 

“Alone?” Daithi stared at him nervously. 

“Go!” Craig yelled. Daithi turned, hurrying down the hallway. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, wasn't sure where to look. 

He could barely think. 

His heart raced. 

Sweat dripped down his back.  

Something moving inside one of the bedrooms caught his eye. 

He stopped, looking through the open doorway into the dark room. 

He glanced back at Craig who was now kicking the door, the violent sound of his foot crashing against the door echoing through the dark hall. 

Daithi glanced back at the bedroom. 

Hesitantly, the tall boy stepped inside the room. 

A low, neon pink light flickered to life from the small lamp on the bedside table. 

“Oh fuck…” Daithi breathed, his eyes scanning the room.

Every surface was covered with porcelain dolls, their beady eyes staring back at Daithi. "Fuck this..." 

On the bed was a doll that looked like a young boy. 

The doll was missing an arm. 

Daithi stepped towards it cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest. 

He had to pick it up. 

He had to hold it. 

His fingers curled around the doll. 

It’s black, glass eyes stared up at him. 

“Daithi.” A snicker from behind him made him jump, the glass doll slipping from his hands. 

The doll shattered into pieces, it’s eyes rolling across the floor. 

From within the pieces, hundreds of small spiders frantically crawled across the floor towards Daithi. 

He screamed, turning from the writhing pile of glass towards the door only to find it closed. 

He yanked on the handle but it would not budge. 

“Craig!” Daithi screamed. “Help me!” The spiders crawled over his sneakers and up his knees. Daithi screamed as he fell back against a shelf, knocking more of the glass dolls to the floor. From their hollow insides crawled more spiders. “Fuck! Fuck! Get off!” Daithi screamed, hitting at the spiders. “ Craig! Help me!” 

As the dust settled in the dining room, Evan awoke with a gasp. 

His head throbbed. 

He forced himself to sit up, wincing in pain as he did so. 

“M-Marcel?” He called out into the dark. “Tyler? Where are you guys?” Silence answered him. “Tyler!” A faint scream echoed through the air. “Guys!” Evan scrambled to his feet. Dust clung to his clothes. He couldn’t see anything. He reached his hands out, stumbling forward into the dark. Where there should have been the door to the foyer, there was nothing. Evan hit the wall, his hands trembling with fear.  “Tyler!” Evan called out again. “Where are you?” 

Something creaked behind him. 

Evan turned. 

Out of the dark, a thin line of light appeared as a door swung open across the room. 

A harsh blue neon light flickered wildly. 

Evan looked around nervously, seeing no other way out, not even a window. Hesitantly, he slowly moved around the wreckage of the dining room table, around the four chairs, towards the door. 

“Hey, Evan...Come join the fun.” Evan’s head whipped around sharply. 

From the darkness, the clown lunged towards him, it’s teeth bared. Evan dodged out of the way and sprinted into the room, the blue light casting a nauseating glow over him. 

It looked like the hall in front of him would go on forever until he suddenly crashed into a mirror. 

The glass pane wobbled. 

Evan stared around the large room he had found himself in, horrified.

The flickering blue light illuminated a mirror maze, Evan’s frightened reflection staring back at him from all angles. 

“Come on, Evan!” The clown laughed. Evan glanced back, hearing its claws drag across the glass. 

Evan darted into the maze, his frantic reflection following him. 

The blue light flickered wildly. 

Evan heaved for air, his legs pumping as hard as they could. 

Tears streamed from his eyes. 

“Tyler!” Evan screamed. “Tyler!” 

“Tyler…” A soft voice whispered when Tyler came back into the dark kitchen. The tall boy frowned. 

He could have sworn there was a backdoor but there was nothing but a peeling wall. “Tyler…” The cellar door stood open. He could faintly hear music. He glanced back at the dining room, not seeing the others. 

He stepped towards the cellar door. 

A warm, golden neon glow filled the basement. 

Tyler stepped onto the first creaking step, then the next. 

He stopped at the bottom, his eyes wide. 

Blue and gold balloons filled the cellar. Soft music played from a stereo. The bat slipped from Tyler’s fingers, falling the exposed dirt floor. 

In the middle of the room, a gold balloon tied tightly around his hand, was Evan. 

He wore a black velvet tailed suit, his black hair slicked back. His sneakers had been replaced with polished dress shoes. There was a white coronation pinned to his lapel. 

Tyler laughed. 

Evan smiled. 

“Is this...Is this how you’re asking me to prom?” Tyler laughed, crossing the room towards him. 

“Yes…” Evan said softly, his dark eyes drinking in the taller boy. “I want to go to prom with you, Tyler…What a beautiful night it will be…” Tyler reached for Evan’s hands. 

His hands felt cold. 

_ Too cold for a living human.  _

The gold string tied around Evan’s left hand was so tight, it had turned his skin a shade of pink. If it were any tighter, Tyler imagined that Evan’s hand would burst. “I had a feeling you’d say yes…” Evan breathed. 

“Of course I’d say yes...I just want to say...About earlier...I’m sorry, Ev.” 

“I’m sorry too...I’d never hate you, Tyler...Unless you lied to me or tried to stab me in the back.” Evan looked up at Tyler through his long lashes, a knowing looking on his face. 

“I’d never do that. We promised, remember?” Tyler held up his palm, the long white line running down it. Evan blinked, staring at it. “Hey…” Tyler cupped Evan’s face in his. “I’d never hurt you. Ever. I’ll keep you safe…” Evan pulled Tyler closer. 

Their lips almost grazed against each other. 

Tyler’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Promises can always be broken…” Evan whispered suddenly. “You didn’t believe me earlier...you laughed at me.” Evan’s fingernails dug into Tyler’s arms. “You hurt me.” Blood oozed around the golden ribbon tied tightly to Evan’s hand. 

“Evan…” Tyler struggled to pull away from the shorter boy. "Ow...Evan, you're hurting me!" Tyler winced. Evan's furious, dark eyes stared at him, his jaw clenching. 

The golden balloon tied to Evan’s hand popped, the loud bang echoing through the room. 

“You hurt me!” Evan snarled. 

His teeth had become sharpened points. 

“Evan let go of me!” 

“You didn’t believe me!” The balloons that filled the room began to pop. Tyler flinched at each loud bang. “You didn’t believe me!” Evan screamed. Suddenly, he began to laugh. “Am I not real enough for you, Tyler?” 

“Evan...What do you...What do you mean?” Tyler stammered. 

Evan laughed wildly. 

His dark eyes rolled back into his skull. 

Tyler screamed, finally managing to shove the thing that wore his friend’s face away. 

Tyler fell to the hard cellar floor. 

“Am I not a monster to you?” The thing in front of him let out a scream, taking a limping step towards him. 

Tyler watched in horror as the boy’s limbs began to grow, the grotesque sound of bones snapping filling the room. It screamed, as if it were in pain, it's back hunching over, too tall for the cellar. 

Blood spilt around the tight ribbon tied to its hand, pieces of the gold balloon still attached to the end of it. 

The Tall Man let out a laugh. 

The dark eyes it had pretended where its own fell to the floor, rolling across the dirt as if they were marbles. 

Tyler screamed, scrambling away from the monster that stood before him. “Am I not a monster to you?” The Tall Man roared, gnashing its sharp teeth. “I’m going to eat you all up!” It laughed. Tyler heaved for air, his hands fumbling around in the dirt for his bat but was nowhere to be found. 

Tyler rolled onto his back in time to see it lunge at him, it’s sharp teeth glinting in the gold neon light. “I’m going to eat you all!” 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support Prom Night has received so far. This story is one of my favourites that I've ever written and I really hope that you guys are enjoying it as much as I am!! Don't forget to check out the soundtrack for this story!! You can find it here: ghosstkid.tumblr.com/post/175123293544/here-is-the-soundtrackplaylist-for-prom-night-a
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Not even a month after that bloody night one year ago, the whole town was back to pretending that nothing ever happened here. That night, those two dead kids, were nothing more than a painful memory on the verge of being forgotten. 

However, something in this town had changed and it would never be the same again. 

For violence feeds on violence. 

Blood feeds on blood. 

It had been the fourth of July, two weeks after that night. The group of boys had found themselves at the lake. Brightly coloured beach towels covered the sand. Families picnicked. BBQs smoked. Popsicles melted over small hands. Neon coloured tubes and floaties dotted the lake, a few boats further out in the deeper water. Sunlight sparkled over the small waves, illuminating the sand in the shallow water. 

The boys had wrestled in the water, had jumped from each other’s shoulders, had a contest to see who could hold their breath the longest. 

Evan had won. 

Now, the group of boys stood on the sand wrapped in towels, eating hot dogs.

Tyler and Evan remained in the water, not yet hungry for lunch. Evan floated on his back, feeling the cool water slip through his fingers, his black hair floating around his head like a dark halo. Tyler swam alongside him, his feet barely touching the bottom. 

“Have you thought yet about what you want to do next year...after school ends?” Tyler asked, spitting out water. 

“Not really…” Evan sighed, his eyes closed. The warm sunlight washed over his face. His cheeks would be pink the next morning. “Have you?” 

“No...I’ll probably get a job...Maybe I’ll get a job at the diner with you.” Tyler smiled. Evan opened his eyes, turning his head to look at Tyler. He smiled. 

“That’d be nice,”  Evan said. He kicked the water, sparkling droplets of water flying into the air. “I lied...I do know what I want…” Evan’s hands flowed over the water. “I want to be free.” Tyler glanced at the younger boy. “Free from this town...my mom...This whole town feels like a trap. I want out.” Evan said quietly. Tyler watched him, not quite sure if he was a contributor to the trap. 

Evan smiled at Tyler. He rolled back onto his stomach and dove under the water, kicking water at Tyler as he did so. Tyler laughed, splashing water at him when he came up for air. 

Later, as the sun began to set and the fireworks were being set up across the lake, the boys sat on their towels, snacking on chips and reading or dozing in the late evening sunlight. A pair of police officers patrolled the beach, looking for signs of alcohol or drugs among the families and teenagers that waited eagerly for the sun to go down. 

Evan sat up, yawning. 

“I’m going to get a soda.” Evan said as he got up. 

“I’ll come with you. I’m hungry again.” Brain got up, dusting sand off his feet. 

“Can you get me a cola?” Tyler asked, handing Evan a few dollars. 

“Sure.” Evan smiled, his fingers lingering on Tyler’s for a moment before he took the money. The two boys started for the concession stand. Tyler reached for his t-shirt and pulled it on. He laid back down on his towel, closing his eyes. The memory of Evan dancing in Brian’s basement crossed his mind. Tyler’s fingers pulled at the towel under him. He hoped that the boys sitting beside him would think that the slight shade of pink on his cheeks was from the sun. 

Footsteps suddenly thudded across the sand. 

Sand suddenly flew over Tyler, getting in his eyes and mouth. He coughed, sitting up. 

Jonathan stood in front of him.

“What do you want?” Tyler spat. Craig and Daithi watched Jonathan, their eyes dark with hatred. 

“You got weed, don’t you?” Jonathan asked Tyler who nervously glanced at the two police officers down the beach. 

“Like I’d give you any.” Tyler snapped. 

“I’ll pay you extra.” Jonathan smiled. “Come on. It’s July 4th!” 

“So?” Daithi muttered, rolling his eyes. Jonathan stuck his tongue out at him. 

“Come on, Tyler. I’ll double pay whatever you normally ask for.” Jonathan insisted. Tyler glanced around at the beach. His bright eyes landed on Evan who had his slightly burnt back to him. Evan didn’t like it when he sold drugs. “Come on.” 

“Fine. Sure. Just shut the fuck up.” Tyler sighed. He grabbed his bag. In the back pocket was two small baggies. Tyler pulled out one of them. Jonathan held his hand out. Tyler hesitated. “Pay me first.” 

“I want to see if it’s real and not that oregano shit you sell to the ninth graders.” Jonathan snapped. “Give it to me.” Tyler grit his teeth and handed it to Jonathan who stared at it, even held it up to the light, not caring if the two police officers noticed. “Is it real?” Jonathan asked. Craig and Daithi laughed. 

“Yes, it’s fucking real. Now give me my money. You said double.” Tyler hissed. Jonathan rolled his eyes, reaching into his pocket. Jonathan met Tyler’s bright eyes. He smiled, slowly turning away from him. Tyler’s eyes widened. 

“Hey! Officers! This man is trying to sell me drugs!” Jonathan yelled, waving at the two police officers. 

“Shut the fuck up!” Tyler jumped to his feet, trying to grab the bag back from Jonathan. The two officers were walking towards them now. Across the beach, Evan turned at the sound of Jonathan’s loud voice. 

“He’s attacking me!” Jonathan yelled dramatically. The officers quickened their pace. Tyler turned to his friends, their eyes wide. 

“Get out of here! Now!” Tyler ordered. Craig and Daithi quickly began packing up, haphazardly stuffing their things into bags. They grabbed Evan and Brian’s stuff and took off, running towards the parking lot. 

“What’s going on here?” One of the officers asked as he approached. Jonathan burst into hysterics. He pointed at Tyler as he lied to the officers. Tyler’s hands curled into fists. Evan was starting across the beach. Tyler’s chest felt like it was burning. Rage made his hands tremble. Jonathan’s wails got more and more pathetic. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes. He was enjoying his rage, his fear.The hot sun burnt down on to the beach. The water sparkled in the light. Wind chimes hanging on the docks that dotted the shore twinkled in the warm wind. Sand flew around Evan’s feet as he hurried towards Tyler, his dark eyes locked on the tall, blonde boy. 

Tyler raised his right fist. 

_ Kill him. _

He brought it down onto Jonathan’s nose.

_ Kill him. _

Blood spurted around his fist. 

_ Kill him.  _

Jonathan fell back onto the sand. 

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” Tyler roared. The police officers lunged at Tyler before he could kick Jonathan’s ribs. Evan was running now. Brian grabbed him. Tyler screamed as the officers threw him to the ground, sand flying through the air. Jonathan sat up, staring at Tyler as blood streamed over his lips and down his chin. Evan could only watch as Tyler struggled violently against the officers, his face pressed against the sand. Jonathan smiled, his teeth red with blood. 

Later that night, sitting in a cold jail cell, Tyler tried to explain to his mom what had happened but all he could say was that he felt like he wasn’t in control, that he felt like someone else; someone who was angry, angrier than he could ever be. 

That day and that long, cold night, the night the kids died and the way Evan had danced in the basement, the first day of his last year at school and the long hours spent sitting at a desk, the countless summer days spent running through the woods with Evan, the warm afternoon a few days ago in the woods and the blood on the grass, were all flashing through Tyler’s mind as he scrambled back from the tall monster that lunged towards him, it’s teeth bared. In a moment, it would bite down and all of those memories would disappear in the blink of an eye. 

His back against the wall, the monster only inches away. 

He had been right all along. 

He was going to die in this town. 

The baseball bat swung through the air. 

The nail embedded itself into the Tall Man’s skull. 

Hot blood splattered onto Tyler’s face. 

He screamed. 

Marcel yanked the bat from the demon’s skull, the nail coated with blood. 

The Tall Man wailed, stumbling back across the dirt floor. 

“Come on!” Marcel grabbed Tyler’s hand, pulling him to his feet. Tyler tried not to look at the eyeballs that laid on the floor, their irises the same colour as Evan’s. The two boys bolted up the stairs. 

They were greeted with the sound of someone screaming. 

“Evan!” Tyler yelled, running back through the dark kitchen. He stumbled to a stop in the doorway to the dining room. What had once been a simple, empty room was now a mirror maze. His wide eyed reflection stared back at him from dirty, fogged glass. A blue neon light flickered violently. Marcel suddenly pushed past Tyler, sprinting into the maze. The baseball bat was still held tight in his hands. “Marcel!” Tyler ran after him. 

Blood from the nail dripped onto the floor. 

The blue neon light flickered. 

Tyler’s warped reflection followed him as he ran down the narrow hall, following Marcel. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see the Tall Man. 

Instead, he saw his reflection smiling back at him, blood dripping down his face where the nail had embedded itself into the monster’s skull. 

Tyler turned away, sprinting after Marcel. 

They turned the corner.

Marcel came to a sudden stop only to be pushed forward when Tyler ran into him. 

Tyler’s eyes widened. 

Cowering in a corner between the glass panels, Evan whimpered loudly, his hands over his dusty, tear-stained face. 

“Hey...Evan...We’re here. You’re okay.” Marcel said softly, cautiously stepping towards the older boy. Evan lowered his hands, his eyes widening when he saw Tyler. “You’re okay.” 

The sound of nails scraping against the glass made Tyler jump. 

He turned, backing up towards Evan who reached for his hand, his hot, sweating fingers lacing through Tyler’s. 

The clown laughed as it turned the corner, blood oozing down its head. 

“Go! Run!” Marcel suddenly yelled, sprinting further into the maze. Evan bolted after him, pulling Tyler with him. Evan heaved for air, tears streaming down his face. 

They stumbled through the maze, the clown laughing as it chased after them. 

The neon blue light flickered wildly. 

They quickly reached the end, stumbling into the front hallway of the house. 

Evan turned, looking back. 

The maze was gone. 

Dust floated through the dark dining room, the table cracked and broken on the floor. 

“W-What the fuck?” Evan gasped. 

Upstairs, someone screamed. 

Without hesitation, Marcel ran for the stairs. 

Evan glanced nervously at Tyler who clenched his jaw and followed Marcel, dragging Evan along with him. 

The stairs creaked under the boy’s feet. 

At the top of the stairs, Craig was pounding on one of the bedroom doors. Under another, water spilt under the bottom of the door, Brian’s gasping screams oozing through the cracks in the door. 

“Guys! Help!” Craig cried. Tyler took a running start, violently kicking down the door. 

Spiders scurried across the floor. 

“What the fuck!” Evan screamed. Daithi stumbled out of the room, spiders crawling over his clothes. He screamed wildly. Marcel hit at the spiders, the black insects falling to the floor where Evan frantically stepped on them, their legs and guts sticking to the bottom of his shoe. Tyler ran to the other door, water splashing under his feet. 

“Brian! Brian!” 

Tyler kicked at the door but it would not budge. 

“Ty-” Brian’s scream suddenly cut off. 

“I’m going to eat you all!” A voice echoed in the dark. 

The boys screamed, running down the hall towards Tyler. 

From the shadows, the Tall Man crept towards them like the spiders that had crawled out from under Daithi’s shirt collar. 

They cowered against the wall. 

The Tall Man smiled, lunging towards them. 

Evan screamed, his hands over his face as if he were a child watching a scary movie. 

Daithi’s knees gave out, sending him falling against the wall. 

Craig couldn’t scream, only stagger back, his eyes wide.

Marcel’s grip on the bat tightened, tears of fear filling his eyes. 

Tyler’s hands clasped over his mouth, not wanting to scream. 

“Blood! Blood! Blood!” The Tall Man roared. 

Marcel suddenly pushed the bat into Tyler’s hand. He threw himself against the door. 

The Tall Man got closer. 

The boys screaming around him deafened his ears. 

He threw himself against the door again. 

It cracked. 

The Tall Man laughed. 

Marcel kicked the door. 

It swung open, hitting the wall. 

Marcel darted into the room, water splashing through the floor. Brian had been pulled into the tub, black rope twisting up his arms. Marcel reached for the blonde boy, his arms wrapping around his waist. He pulled, but the ropes pulled harder. “Help me!” Craig was suddenly beside him, nearly falling into the tub as he grabbed onto Brian. They pulled as hard as they could. The rope suddenly let go, the three of them falling backwards. Brian gasped for air. He turned, seeing the others cowering by the doorway, the Tall Man lunging towards them. 

Evan screamed as the Tall Man swung its claws at him. 

Tyler’s bat whistled through the air, the nail cutting open it’s arm. 

“Stay away from him!” Tyler screamed, swinging at the Tall Man again. The Tall Man laughed, even as it retreated backwards. Tyler screamed, swinging at the Tall Man with the bat. It stepped backwards, moving into the bedroom that Daithi had been trapped in. 

“Blood...Blood...Blood…” It laughed, disappearing into the dark. 

“Go!” Marcel pulled Brian, still coughing and gagging out into the hallway. 

The boys darted down the hallway to the stairs. 

They bolted down the stairs. 

Light poured from the open front door. 

Evan jumped down the last few steps and sprinted for the open door. 

The boys burst into the warm summer light, stumbling down the porch steps. 

Evan collapsed onto the dirt, heaving for air. 

Smitty was suddenly beside him, his eyes wide with worry. 

“What the hell?” Scotty cried as the boys stumbled to a stop. “What happened?” 

“Fuck...Just...shut up, Scotty…” Marcel gasped. “Just...give us...a minute…” Brian fell to his knees. Dirt clung to his wet jeans. Tyler stood beside Evan, the bat dropping from his hands. He stared at the black haired boy, thinking of the way the monster had stolen his face, his eyes. 

_ Did Evan make him weak? _

Craig stared at the house, his chest rising and falling heavily. 

_ He had failed.  _

Daithi hit as his clothes, still feeling itchy. 

None of them noticed the car suddenly come to a stop across the road. 

“What happened?” Scotty asked again. “Did you kill it?” 

“No, Scotty!” Craig suddenly cried. “We didn’t ki-” 

“Evan Fong!” The boys jumped. A car door slammed. Evan’s head snapped up, his face going pale. “Oh, you are in so much trouble!” Evan’s mother stormed across the road towards them. Evan scrambled to his feet, his suddenly tightening up as it had when he faced the Tall Man. 

“M-Mom…” Evan stammered. “It’s not…we weren’t…” 

“First I get a call about the school having to close for the day over some kind of panic the kids are in, and I go there only to find you aren’t there! And now I find you here! The one place I forbid you to ever go into! You didn’t listen to me, Evan!” She yelled. Evan kept his eyes on the cracked stone path. “What has gotten into you lately? It’s like you never listen to me anymore!” Evan looked up at her, anger flashing in his eyes. 

“I listen to you, mom!” The group of boys glanced awkwardly between Evan and his mother. Tyler stayed closed to Evan, his piercing eyes locked on him. He wanted to grab Evan, wanted to get into his truck, wanted to drive out of this town and never come back, wanted to run away with Evan. 

“Get in the car right now! You’re grounded!” Evan’s mother snarled. Evan didn’t move. “Get in the car!” Evan glanced at his friends who stared back at him, none of them able to think of anything to say that would save him. The hot sun burnt down onto the dirty, overgrown lawn. The house creaked and groaned behind him, watching. Heat bugs sang. “Evan!” 

“Mom, I-” 

“I don’t want to hear it. Get in the car.” Evan’s bottom lip wobbled. He glanced back at Tyler before slowly starting down the cracked path, past his mother, towards the car across the street. The boys watched him go. “And you.” Tyler’s gaze turned back to the boy’s mother. “I never want to see you near my son again. You’ve always been a horrible influence on him. I heard about your little trip to jail. Stay away from my son. All of you.” She snapped before turning on her heel, marching towards her car. The boys watched Evan get into the car. “What the hell were you thinking?” His mother demanded as she got into the car, slamming the door. Evan said nothing, his eyes on the grey carpet on the floor of the car. “Hmm?” She started the car, turning the radio off the second it came on. She turned up the air conditioning with a huff before stepping on the gas, the car starting down the road. “Tell me, young man! What were you thinking?” 

Evan turned in his seat, looking through the back window. Tyler stepped out onto the road, watching the small silver car drive off. 

_ What was he thinking?  _

Tears slipped down Evan’s face. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support so far!! There are only four more chapters left of Prom Night!!! I hope you guys enjoy chapter nine!

The white clouds in the bright blue sky reflected off the windshield. Silence had fallen over the small silver car as it drove the few blocks home.

“I want to be free…” Evan had said, running his hands over the cool lake water.

_Free._

The car pulled into the driveway of the large, old house. The gardens in the front yard bloomed brightly. Evan got out of the car as quickly as he could, hurrying towards the front door only to find it locked. He crossed his arms, leaning against the scratchy brick wall while his mother took her time getting out of the car and walking up the front path to the porch. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. Evan followed her. He started for the stairs, not wanting to even look at her. He was exhausted but he was too scared to sleep.

“Evan.” He stopped at the stairs, his dusty hand curled around the railing. “You still haven’t answered me. What the hell were you doing in that house?” His mother demanded. Evan grit his teeth.

“Mom…”

“Tell me. Was it dare? I know how stupid teenaged boys can be.” She snapped. Evan fought the urge to turn and bolt up the stairs to the safety and isolation of his room.

“No, mom. It was not a dare. I’m not stupid and neither are my friends!”

“Then why were you in there? Don’t you know what happened in there last year?”

“Yes! I know what happened. It’s because of what happened that Lui died!” Evan cried. He couldn’t stop the words that came spilling out of him. “There’s a monster, Mom! It killed Lui! It almost killed me Friday night! It almost killed my friends! We were trying to stop it because no one else will!”

“Stop it. Stop it right now. How dare you make a joke out of that poor mother’s grief. You are too old for things like this, Evan! You should be setting an example!” His mother yelled.

“Have you ever thought that maybe I’m grieving too?” Evan cried, tears welling up in his eyes. “I knew Lui! I knew him, mom! I found him!”

“I know it’s hard, sweetie. But making up stories about monsters is not going to make it better.” His mother sighed. Evan’s grip tightened on the railing. “Going into a place like that is not going to make it better! Hanging around a person like Tyler is not going to make it better! He used to be such an angel when he was a boy but now...Well…”

“Don’t bring Tyler into this. Don’t say shit like that about him!”

“Evan! What have I told you about swearing?” She crossed her arms. “Go to your room. Now. We’ll talk later.”

“I’m almost an adult!” Evan cried.

“You are seventeen. You are not an adult. Until you’ve turned eighteen, you are not an adult. Besides, you aren’t acting like one right now.” She snapped. Evan remained on the stairs, finding it hard to breathe he was so angry. “Go to your room. I don’t want to say it again.” Evan didn’t move. His mother took a step towards him. “Fine. No prom.” She hissed. Evan’s eyes widened.

“What? But I already-“

“No prom. You aren’t going.”

“But-“

“No.” Evan’s eyes welled up with tears. He turned, running up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom. "And clean yourself up!" She called after him. Evan slammed the door as loud as he could. He let out a cry of anger, hitting the books off his desk. Paper flew across the clean floor. He threw himself down onto his bed, pressing his face against his pillow. He couldn’t stop the painful sobs that rattled his chest, couldn’t stop the tears that stained his pillow.

_He wanted Tyler._

Evan sat up, pulling off the hockey gear that had become covered with dust. He threw it onto the floor, not caring about the mess he made. Tears streamed down his dusty face. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his hoodie. He laid back on his bed, his shoulders shaking with another sob.

_He wanted Tyler._

He pulled his blanket over himself, the warm darkness surrounding him. He closed his eyes, tears soaking his lashes. His mother was right. He was just a kid. A kid who wanted to hug his closest friend as a toddler wants to hug their teddy bear. He let out another sob.

_He wanted Tyler._

Now that the adrenaline was gone, his limbs felt heavy, his chest rose and fell slowly. Exhaustion weighed him down to the bed. Sleep crept up on him, the last of his tears slipping down his cheeks.

 

“Evan…”

Evan’s dark eyes opened. He slowly sat up, pushing his blanket off him. It had gotten dark, the bedroom dimly illuminated by the streetlamp outside. His eyes felt caked with dried tears and dust. He rubbed them, stars flashing behind his eyes.

He yawned, just wanting to go back to sleep. His alarm clock would be going off in a few hours and he hadn’t slept since Saturday night. He could faintly see his calendar hanging on the wall, the words ‘prom night” written in bright pink letters on this coming Friday’s square and ‘Tyler’s birthday’ on the Saturday. He tried to tell himself that none of that mattered anymore, that he would go through Tuesday like any other day except without Tyler in it and that this weekend would be quite for he would be studying instead of partying with Tyler.

_He wanted Tyler._

Evan laid back down, his eyes on his window. “Evan…” He froze. “I’m right here…It's okay...” A familiar voice whispered.

“T-Tyler?” Evan whispered, slowly sitting up.

The room was empty.

“I want to be with you forever…”

“I-I want that too…”

“Kill them.”

“What? Who?”

“Those who are keeping us apart,” Tyler said sharply. Evan’s dark eyes shifted to look at his bedroom door. “Kill them...so we can be together…” Evan swung his legs off his bed. “Let's be free, Evan…” He got up, stepping on the scattered papers as he crossed the dark room to his desk.

He pulled open the drawer.

The twin blades of a pair of scissors glinted in the light.

Evan’s fingers curled around the neon green rubber handle. “Kill them.”

“Okay, Tyler…” Evan stepped towards the door. His free hand curled around the handle. He turned it, pulling open the door.

The dark hallway stretched before him.

“You’re alright...I’m right here…” Tyler whispered. “You’ll be free soon…”

“I’m alright…” Evan silently moved down the hallway, the scissors held tight in his hand. The sharp blades glinted in the light. “I’m alright…” He reached for the door handle of his parent’s bedroom door. The door clicked as it opened. The silence was broken by his father’s snores.

“Kill them.” Evan stepped into the room, his dirty socked feet silent on the wood floor. He stopped at the end of their bed, his chest rising and falling heavily. He stared at his sleeping parents. “You’re alright…”

Evan slowly raised the scissors.

The silver blades glinted in the dim light.

Evan’s hand began to tremble.

“No…” Evan breathed, his eyes suddenly widening. “I’m not alright…” He stared around the dark room, confused.

_How did he get here?_

He looked down at the scissors in his hand.

His breath caught in his throat.

He turned away from his parent’s bed, quietly fleeing from the room.

The scissors slipped from his hand once he reached his room.

He closed his door, frantically propping his desk chair under the door handle as if that would keep the monsters out. He quickly crawled onto his bed, throwing the blanket over his head.

He struggled to breathe under the heavy quilt but he didn’t dare lift the blanket to look out at the empty room.

He didn’t dare move until his alarm clock went off and the morning sunlight spilt through the window.

 

“Students! It’s the last week of school! Make sure to clean out your lockers on Friday! Seniors! Prom tickets are still on sale! Have you voted for your Prom King and Queen yet? Come to the office to cast your vote before it’s too late!” The girl’s cheery voice echoed over the P.A. system. Sitting at his desk, Evan yawned. Every muscle ached.

A few rows ahead of him, Daithi glanced back at him. Daithi’s eyes were weighed down with dark circles.

Evan didn’t meet his gaze.

It was better for everyone if he just listened to his mom for once.

_The Tall Man could appear as anyone, could sound like anyone._

Daithi looked away from the raven-haired boy. The announcements came to an end. The teacher stood up from her desk, her bright red clipboard in her hand.

“Alright. Let’s see who’s here today.” As she began calling out names, Evan’s dark eyes turned to the window. He was certain that for a moment, he saw the Tall Man out there, standing in the middle of the field, a smile on its face. Evan’s hands gripped the edges of his desk.

After homeroom, he hurried to his science class where he tried not to talk to Craig who tried to talk to him.

“Are you seriously grounded? Evan, you gotta help us. We’re meeting up at Tyler’s tonight. We’re gonna come up with a plan. We need you there.” Craig pleaded. Evan said nothing, his eyes on the chalkboard at the front of the room. “Evan we need you.”

“You should just leave that thing along...It’s gonna make you do something bad.” Evan whispered. Craig’s brow furrowed.

“But...But it could-”

“Stop it, Craig. It’s done. We’re done.” Evan sighed. “It’s beyond our control.”

“Did...Did something happen last night?” Craig asked.

_Kill him._

Evan’s pencil pressed down hard onto his notebook, the lead snapping. It left a grey smear on the white page.

“My mom and I got into a bad fight...I’m tired, Craig,” Evan said through gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry…” Craig shifted away from Evan. “Sorry I dragged you into this...I just thought you actually wanted to help kill this thing...Guess I was wrong.” Evan stared at him.

Craig may as well have called him a coward.

He opened his mouth to snap back at Craig but he caught himself before the words could slip out.

Craig would never understand what it was like for him.

He would never understand the kind of pressure Evan was constantly under, the kind of pressure he put on him and the other guys in the band, the kind of pressure Tyler put on him, the kind of pressure his parents put on him.

Evan looked back down his notes, his black hair falling over his teary eyes.

Craig didn’t say anything else to Evan for the rest of the class. As soon as the bell rang, Craig was out of his seat and walking towards the door not even looking back at Evan who remained in his seat, his eyes on the grey smear on his page.

“You’ll be free soon…” Tyler’s voice had whispered.

_Not soon enough._

Evan packed up his things and hurried from the classroom.

He ate lunch alone outside, his eyes on the field. He waited for the Tall Man to appear but it never did. At the other end of the schoolyard, Smitty and his friend played tetherball, the metallic sound of the pole shaking back and forth mingling with the sound of children’s voices. Smitty glanced back at Evan who sat one of the benches, his dark eyes watching the field.

“Just leave him alone. Some shit went down with his mom or something.” Craig would tell them later when they met up at Tyler’s. Tyler sat behind his drums, his bright eyes on Evan’s empty guitar stand.

“It’s our fault.” Tyler sighed. “We should have defended him.”

“What could we have said or done that could have fucking helped him?” Craig rolled his eyes. The boys stared at him. “What?”

“Is Evan out of the band?” Smitty asked, his voice on the edge of breaking.

“Yeah. I think Evan is out.” Craig sighed. Tyler looked down at the white scar on his palm.     

“Promises can always be broken...” The nightmarish Evan had spat at him in the cellar. He was right.

He had let Evan down.

After school, instead of meeting up with the guys, Evan had gone to work. He pulled on his red and white collared shirt in the diner’s small employee washroom, the white light above him flickering. He stood in front of the mirror, running a hand through his hair.

He forced a smile onto his face.

Young girls flirted with him when he brought them their fries but they didn’t leave a tip. Parents barely spoke to him. Couples smiled at him as he stood awkwardly by their tables, waiting for their credit cards to go through. He cleaned the tables, dots of whipped cream and ketchup finding their way onto his red shirt and apron. The dinner hour ended. Soon, there wasn’t anyone in the diner despite it still being an hour till closing. Evan took a sip from the milkshake the chef had given him on his break.

The bells above the door chimed.

Evan turned, almost expecting it to be Tyler but instead it was a young man, only a few years older than Evan dressed in a white button-up shirt and black pants. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone.

Evan caught himself staring.

“You can sit wherever you want.” Evan smiled. The young man smiled back, taking a seat at one of the red booths. Evan brought him a menu and a glass of water.

“Was that a milkshake you were having when I walked in?” The young man asked. Evan nodded. “I’ll have one of those too.” His eyes looked Evan over. Evan smiled, writing it down on his notepad. He returned to the kitchen, where he waited for the shake. His dark eyes kept floating over the young man. He had an old, leather book bag with a few pins on the strap. His brown hair was slicked back. He didn’t look like the journalists who came through asking about the dead kids, but there was something academic about him.

Evan liked it.

The chef slid the shake over to Evan who placed two cherries on top of the whipped cream before taking it out to the young man, placing it delicately in front of him.

“Anything else?” Evan asked with a small smile.

“I’m fine, thanks. I was wondering though...Is there anything fun to do around this place? My grandmother just retired here and I imagine I’ll be spending a lot more time in this town.” The young man said. He didn't sound too thrilled about it.

Evan fought back a laugh.

“There isn’t much here. It’s quiet. Suburban. You’re better off driving to the city if you're looking for fun.” Evan glanced down at the sticky floor.

_This is the kind of town you die in._

“You seem like fun. You must know of something.” The young man smiled, picking up one of the cherries. He bit it off its bright red stem. Evan bit the inside of his lip.

“I just go to house parties. Nothing fancy...” Evan said, sitting down across from the young man.

“High school house parties?” He smiled. “I haven’t been to one of those since I graduated high school last year… I used to get into so much trouble at those parties...Have you ever gotten in trouble?”

“I’m a good boy,” Evan said, his dark eyes locked on the young man.

“I’m sure you are.” The young man took a sip from the strawberry milkshake, the second bright red cherry on top glinting in the pink neon lights from the bar behind Evan. “Are you in college?”

“I will be in the fall. Are you?”

“Yeah. I go to a school just outside of Boston.” The young man smiled. “I'm starting an English major...I want to be a teacher...maybe even a professor one day.”

“I don’t know what I want to do yet...You go to school near Boston...that’s only an hour away…”

“It is.” The young man smiled. “Have you thought about going there for school?”

“I could go there… But I’d prefer to go somewhere far away from here.”

“Why?”

“I want to be free from this place.”

“It can’t be that bad.” The young man smiled as he leaned back against the red booth.

“I hate it here.”

“Hate it?” The young man’s eyebrows raised. “Maybe the good boy isn’t as good as he thinks he is.”

Evan's hands curled into fists on his thighs.

“I should get back to work...I'll get in trouble if I sit around for too long..."

“Alright...I don't want you to get in trouble." The young man smiled. "Thank you for the milkshake…” The young man leaned forward, reading his name tag. “Evan.” Evan stood up, reaching for the bright red cherry on top of the pink milkshake. He licked off the cream that covered the bottom of the cherry before biting into it, his eyes locked on the young man. He smiled, pulling it from the stem, the sweet taste filling his mouth. He turned, walking back to the kitchen, twisting the blood-red stem between his fingers.

After the man had left, Evan found a large tip on the table and the young man’s phone number written on a napkin, with the name ‘Brock’ written above it.

He closed up the diner and got a ride home from his dad. None of them said anything the whole drive.

In Evan’s pocket was the napkin with Brock’s phone number on it.

That night, he laid awake, unable to sleep again.

Across town, Tyler tossed and turned, unable to get the guilt out of his mind.

Marcel found himself unable to sleep as well.

He stood in his bathroom, the tap running. He waited for the cold water to turn into hot blood.

The sun rose like it had the day before and the day before that.

Evan stumbled through the lonely day, his head filled with swirling thoughts about Tyler and the young man at the diner. Every time Tyler lingered too long on his mind, the Tall Man would suddenly replace him, sending a jolt of fear through Evan. Like the day before, he sat alone at lunch and avoided Tyler as if he were running from the Tall Man. He went to work, serving high school kids and families till close.

The young man didn’t come back.

An hour before close, Evan saw Tyler’s blue truck drive by. Craig was sitting in the passenger seat.

A hot ball of jealousy found its home in Evan’s chest.

He didn’t sleep again that night.

He laid in bed, his blue guitar in his hands, his fingers lazily moving over the strings as he thought about Tyler, about the abandoned house, about the bloody disembodied arm in the woods, about Brock, about blood red cherries.

The sun rose again but a kind of heaviness hung in the morning air like a mist. Evan went through the motions of school again. Like the day before, Craig and Daithi didn’t say a word to him. During science, Evan thought about asking Craig what he was doing with Tyler last night but thought better of it. At lunch he sat alone outside again, his eyes on the field.

This time, he could swear that he saw movement along the treeline at the edge of the property.

The last bell had come as a relief.

Evan was almost at the front doors, his mother waiting for him in the parking lot to take him to work when a hand curled around his arm, pulling him back. Evan jumped violently, spinning around to come face to face with Tyler.

The phone number written on a napkin hidden in his backpack weighed him down the glossy floor.

“Evan...Can we talk?” Tyler sighed.

“I have to go to work, Tyler.” Evan managed to say.

“I’m sorry about what happened, about what I said...I’m sorry that your mom caught us. I just...I need you, Evan. We need you. That thing is still out there.” Tyler said. Evan couldn’t look him in the eye. “We can’t break apart, not now.”

_Kill him._

“I know...I just…”

“This isn’t like you at all, Evan.” Tyler reached for his hand. Evan let him take it. “Did something happen?” Tyler asked softly. The words were in his throat but Evan couldn’t get them out.

_It used your voice…_

“Tyler...I...I…”

“Evan come back to us. Please. Screw what your mom says.” Tyler said, holding onto Evan’s hand tightly. Evan kept his eyes on the floor. He couldn’t look at Tyler. All he could think of was the voice that had whispered to him the dark. All he could think of was the eyeless Tall Man. He tried to tell himself that that wasn't Tyler, that it wasn't the Tall Man gently holding his hand but his fear wouldn't let him believe it. “Evan.”

“I have to go.” Evan pulled his hand away from Tyler, fleeing to the door which he pushed open, stepping out into the warm June sunlight.

Tyler watched him go, tears welling up in his eyes.

 

Water sprinkled onto the warm cement as kids played in the splash park. Bright, identical new houses lined the park. School had just ended a few hours ago, setting loose onto the playgrounds hundreds of kids, all of whom just wanted school to be over.

Walking through the park, past the tall trees, Scotty watched the kids play with a smile. He remembered when he had been that young, that carefree. Monsters only existed in movies. He sighed, continuing down the path.

“We need to get Evan back. As a group, we can kill it.” Marcel had cried the night before, his voice filling the small garage. Christmas lights hanging over the windows illuminated the space with an orange glow.

“We don’t need Evan.” Craig had said from where he sat on the old couch.

“Yes, we do.” Tyler snapped.

“He doesn’t need us.” Daithi sighed.

“If he isn’t willing to put his neck on the line to help out the group, we don’t need him.” Craig crossed his arms.

“You don’t know what he could be going through right now. You heard his mom. She grounded him.” Smitty pointed out.

“He’s seventeen.” Craig rolled his eyes.

“So?” Smitty crossed his arms. "You're all still kids like me." Craig stuck his tongue out at the younger boy.

“Look, we can’t split up...You have to get him back in time for prom if we're gonna go through with this plan...” Marcel said to Tyler. “Or it’s going to kill us all one by one.”

Scotty turned onto a quieter, shady path that lead to the other end of the park where his house stood. He and his family had moved in last year, a couple months after it had been built. The lawn hadn’t even been put down yet when they settled in. Dust kept finding its way into the house. They used to live in a small, old house that was perfectly fine near Marcel’s house but his parents couldn’t resist such a big, new home for such a cheap price. It had polished wood floors and counters, brightly painted rooms and a new car kind of smell to it.

Scotty loved the new house.

A twig snapped.

Scotty stopped, looking into the thin woods.

The birds quieted.

Seeing nothing, Scotty continued down the path.

The back of his neck prickled.

His pace quickened.

He could see the road and his house on the other side. He just had to get inside and he would be fine.

A growl broke the silence that hung in the still, evening air.

Scotty stopped, his chest tightening.

Slowly, he turned.

Standing in the middle of the path was a large, black dog.

Saliva dripped from its sharp teeth.

It had no eyes.

Scotty turned, breaking into a run.

The dog chased after him, closing the small distance between them.

Scotty stumbled onto the road, his heart racing. He reached the other side, stumbling onto the lawn.

He turned.

The Tall Man lunged for him, it’s pale hands curling around his shoulders.

Scotty screamed.

Blood the colour of fresh cherries splattered across the grass.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I'm so excited for this chapter!! As many of you probably know, Prom Night was heavily inspired by Rynx's 'I'm Alright' video and as you'll soon see, this chapter is full of references to that video right down to the setting which I did my best to recreate as well as my favourite photo from that video shoot which you can find here; instagram.com/p/Bjs_CXsH47V/?taken-by=boybunso !! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!!! There are only three chapters left of Prom Night!!!

Water splashed across the diner’s floor. Music played quietly from the stereo on the bar. Evan kept his eyes on the floor as he moped the black and white checkerboard floor, not wanting to see another rented limo go past.

“Hey, Evan. You can go if you want. It’s prom tonight, isn’t it?” The chef asked, stepping into the dining room. 

“I’m not going,” Evan said quietly. 

“Oh...I see. Well...The offer still stands. You can head home if you want. You’ve been working hard all week.” The chef smiled. Evan shook his head. 

“My dad won’t be here to pick me up until eight thirty so it’s fine.” Evan sighed. 

“What happened to that blonde kid, Tyler?” Evan stared at the soapy water that filled the bucket. 

_ He wanted Tyler.  _

“Nothing.” Evan managed to say. He kept his eyes on the murky water in the bucket, the mop held tight in his hand. The chef sighed. 

“Alright...Well...let me know when you’re dad gets here and you are on your way.” The chef said as he headed back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up for the night. 

Evan got back to work. 

Across town, girls in flowing, sparkling dresses hurried through the school parking lot, their new heels clicking on the pavement. Boys awkwardly adjusted their bow ties and suit jackets in front of mirrors hanging on the inside of locker doors. 

In one of the locker rooms, Evan’s band of friends was warming up for their show. Sitting on one of the benches, Tyler stared down at the drumsticks in his hand. He wore a snow white tux, a navy blue coloured flower pinned to his lapel. Tyler looked up at the others. Craig leaned against one of the lockers, his hands running over invisible keys on a piano. Brian and Daithi were heading into the quiet hallway to do vocal warm ups. 

A part of Tyler wished that they had decided not to show up after what happened yesterday. 

“Scotty is dead!” Marcel had wailed that morning when he found the guys at lunch, his eyes red from crying. They had heard rumours of a boy's body being found, had heard rumours that it was gruesome, had heard rumours that a group of elementary school kids had seen a monster. They didn't know that the dead boy was Scotty until Marcel came running to them. “The Tall Man killed him!” No one had known what to say. 

Craig’s jaw clenched. 

“We’re gonna kill it.” Craig had said. “Tonight.” 

“We can’t! We can’t! Scotty is gone! Evan has fucked off!" Marcel had cried. "We’re all dead!” 

Now, Tyler stood up, his drumsticks held tight in his hand. 

Craig’s brow furrowed as Tyler headed for the door. 

“Tyler where are you going?” 

As Evan turned off the lights in the diner, his dad pulled up to the diner. Evan picked up his bag and headed outside. He locked the door and headed down the steps. He got into the car, stuffing his bag between his feet. 

“Your mom wants you to go to bed as soon as we get home.” His dad said quietly as he pulled away from the curb. Evan looked up at his father. 

“What do you think I should do?” Evan asked. His dad glanced at him. He sighed. 

“I think...I think you should listen to your mother.” His dad said after a moment. Evan leaned his head back against the seat, his eyes on the window, watching the quiet town pass by. They said nothing else to each other. The car pulled into the driveway. Evan got out, walking up to the door. Inside, his mother was sitting in the living room, reading. 

“Goodnight mom,” Evan said, heading for the stairs. 

“Goodnight, sweetie.” She called back. Evan made his way to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He got changed into sweatpants and an old summer camp t-shirt that Tyler and his friends had all signed the back of. He pulled his guitar out of its case, laying back on his bed. He strummed the notes for the song he had written with Tyler.

He hoped they would have a good show tonight. 

His dark eyes turned to his closet where his navy blue suit was hanging. The door was open a crack. 

Evan stared at the dark space. 

Something stared back at him. 

He stopped strumming. 

He sat up, the baby blue guitar strap hanging loosely around his shoulder. 

Something dripped to the wood floor. 

“E-Evan…” A gasping voice whispered from the dark. The voice sounded familiar. Evan froze, his fingers tightening on the neck of the guitar. 

As expensive as it was, he valued his life more. 

Evan heard something fall from its hanger in his closet. 

Slowly, he got up, clutching his guitar tightly. 

He took a step towards the closet door. 

His right hand curled around the door handle. 

He pulled it open. 

His orange raincoat lay on the floor. Evan’s brow furrowed as he knelt down, careful not to hit the neck of his guitar on the corner of the wall. The photos he had taken that day in the woods with Craig had fallen from the pocket. Evan slowly picked them, his hands trembling as he slowly went through them. The neighbourhood he knew looked unfamiliar in the small polaroids, dark and melancholy. 

He reached the last photo. 

In the photo was Lui, or rather, the ghost of him. 

Tears welled up in Evan’s eyes. 

He had captured a ghost in the flash after all. 

Something hit his bedroom window. 

Evan let out a small cry, falling back onto the floor. His dark eyes locked onto the window. He saw something small and grey fly up and bounce off the glass pane.

He pulled off the blue guitar strap, leaning it against the bed as he stood up, the ghostly photo clutched tightly in his hand. 

He cautiously stepped towards the window. 

His eyes widened. 

Standing on the front lawn, blades of dewy grass sticking to his polished shoes, dressed in a white suit, a navy blue flower pinned to his lapel, was Tyler. He held a poster board above his head that read ‘prom?’ in big black letters. Across the street was the old blue truck. Evan pulled open his window, staring down at the tall blonde boy. 

“So? Are you coming?” Tyler called up to him. Evan gripped the window sill. 

_ Kill him.  _

Evan stared at the boy standing on his lawn, his hands trembling. 

“Are you real?” Evan asked. Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Are you really Tyler or are you the Tall Man?” 

“What?” 

“Are you really you?” 

“I haven’t checked since this morning but I’m pretty sure I’m still me.” Tyler managed a smile, lowering the sign. “Come on...We need you if we’re gonna kill this thing. Also...I want to dance with you at prom.” Tyler added with a smile. Evan glanced down at the photo in his hands. 

He wanted to kill it too. 

He glanced at his bedroom door. He had snuck out before. This time was no different. 

He looked back down at Tyler, a smile spreading on his lips. 

“Okay.” 

 

The old blue truck pulled into the school parking lot. The orange streetlamp illuminated the inside of the cab. Evan fidgeted with the sleeve of his navy blue suit, his vest suddenly feeling too tight. He stared down at his new, snow white shoes. Tyler glanced at him with a smile. 

“T-Tyler...I need to tell you something.” Evan said quietly. Tyler’s smile wavered. 

“What is it?” 

“I’m sorry I avoided you these past few days...I just...It...The Tall Man...he used your voice...to make me do something…” Evan stumbled over the words. Tyler reached for his hand, holding it tightly. “I was scared and I didn’t know if it was really you-” 

“It’s okay, Evan. I understand. I’m not mad...You should know that the Tall Man made me see you too…Well...It just looked like you...But there was something different...I don’t know how to explain it. It was you but it wasn’t you…” Tyler struggled to explain. “I feel like I saw something I wasn’t ever supposed to see, something worse than the Tall Man.” Evan stared at him. 

“Are you high?” 

“Not yet.” 

“You sound high.” 

“I’m not high.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes!” Tyler laughed. Evan laughed, his hand holding onto Tyler’s tightly. Tyler’s smile suddenly fell. “Evan...There’s one other thing you should know….I mean you probably already heard but...Scotty is dead. The Tall Man got him.” Tyler’s voice broke. Evan’s throat tightened, his eyes filling up with tears. 

“E-Evan…” The voice in the closet had gasped. Evan looked away from Tyler, his shoulders suddenly feeling like they weighed a ton. 

_ It’s your fault _ , a nasty voice in Evan’s head snarled. 

“When?” Evan demanded.  

“Yesterday afternoon...in plain daylight.” Tyler sighed. “It’s like...it’s like it was challenging us...Showing us that it’s not scared of us…” Evan slowly turned his head to look at Tyler. “We’re not scared...We’re gonna kill it.” Tyler said. Evan nodded slowly. “We...We should get going.” Tyler said, letting go of Evan’s hand. 

The two got out of the truck, the blue doors creaking as they slammed. Evan pulled his guitar case from the back, slowly walking to the front of the truck, his eyes on the school. His chest ached. “Evan wait…” Tyler reached for something in the driver’s door cup holder. He closed the door, hurrying to meet Evan who stood in front of the truck. In Tyler’s hand was a white carnation flower, the soft petals seeming to glow in the dim light. Tyler reached for Evan’s dark blue lapel, pinning the flower to his suit. Evan smiled. 

Tyler’s hands lingered on Evan’s lapel. 

Evan wished they had stayed there.

“We should go,” Tyler said. Evan nodded. The two boys crossed the parking lot and headed inside. 

The halls were dark, illuminated with pink, blue and purple neon lights. Evan’s white shoes squeaked on the polished floor. The music from the gym got louder as they approached. 

_ I don’t want to want you _ , a soft voice sang.  _ But I do.  _

White, blue, purple and gold balloons lay scattered across the hallway floor. Streamers hung from the ceilings. Classrooms stood dark and empty. Evan found himself glancing in them, wondering if he would see the Tall Man or even a ghost of a boy he’d known standing among the desks. 

Hanging from the ceiling by the gym was a banner that welcomed everyone to prom. 

Evan followed Tyler to the change room, his chest suddenly tightening with worry. 

Tyler pushed open the door. 

The room went silent. 

Everyone stared at Evan. 

Craig and Daithi looked surprised. Smitty’s lips were starting to pull in a smile. Brian’s eyes lit up. Marcel’s bottom lip wobbled. 

“Found him,” Tyler said with a smile. 

“It’s your fault!” Marcel suddenly yelled. He ran at Evan before anyone could stop him. Evan fell back against the lockers, the loud banging sound echoing through the dimly lit room. The guitar case dropped from Evan’s hands. Marcel hit at Evan, tears streaming down his face. “You left us! You left us! It’s your fault he’s dead!” Marcel hit him again. Evan let him.

“I-I’m sorry…” Evan breathed. “I’m so sorry…” Marcel let out a sob, suddenly pressing his face against Evan’s chest. Evan slowly wrapped his arms around him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there…” Silence fell once more over the locker room. Evan glanced up at Craig who quickly looked away from him, his jaw clenching. “I’m sorry…” Tyler stared at Evan. 

_ It's not your fault.  _

Marcel stepped away from Evan, rubbing his eyes. His deep red velvet suit jacket glinted in the dim light. He stared at Evan, sniffling. 

“Saying sorry isn’t going to bring Scotty back...Nothing will...But now more than ever...We have to kill it.” Craig said sharply. 

“Okay,” Evan said. “I’m here. Tell me what to do.” Craig glanced back at him, a stubborn look on his face. Tyler narrowed his eyes at Craig. 

“Well…” Daithi cleared his throat, straightening the sleeves of his black suit jacket. “We start with our show…” 

 

Evan’s dark eyes scanned the crowd of their peers that stared up at them. From up here on the stage, they could see the whole gym, could see each doorway, could see almost every face.

A burst of frequency from Brian’s mic suddenly made them all jump.

“S-Sorry…” Brian mumbled. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. You can do it.” Evan smiled. Brian glanced back at the others who nodded. 

“Okay…” Nervously, Brian turned to look back at the young faces they had known their entire lives. “Hi...We hope you guys are having a good night so far. We’re….We’re gonna play some songs for you guys.” Brian said into the mic. Silence answered him. 

“Let’s just fucking play,” Tyler said, suddenly counting them in. Music exploded from the stage. Evan’s fingers flew across the strings. Tyler’s drumsticks became a blur in his hands. Craig’s eyes remained locked on the crowd that stared up at them, not needing to look down at his keys. Daithi kept pace with Evan, the two of them dancing around the stage as they played. Brian and Daithi’s voices filled the gym. It took a few songs for the crowd to start giving back to the performers, dancing along with the music. Smitty had found his group of friends, the small group of grade nines dancing at the front of the crowd. Evan smiled when he spotted them through the bright lights. At the back of the gym, Jonathan and Ryan watched. 

“Come on.” Jonathan straightened his blue suit jacket and headed for the gym door, a smile on his face. Ryan glanced back at the stage for a moment before hurrying after Jonathan, the lights reflecting off his metallic grey suit jacket. 

Marcel stood in the wings of the stage, watching them play. His eyes were watery. 

In the empty, long hallway, the neon lights flickered. 

The boys gave their all to their songs despite their lack of rehearsal the past few days. With his fingers flying across the strings, his white sneakers tapping against the stage, Evan felt free. He glanced back over his shoulder, seeing Tyler’s bright gaze on him. Tyler smiled. The neon lights flashed. 

For their last song, they did the cover. Brian’s hands gripped his mic as he sang, his eyes watching the gym. 

“In a few weeks, I will get time….To realize it's right before my eyes…” Brian sang, the neon lights flashing around him. Evan mouthed the words, his eyes closing as the song got faster. “This is starting to feel like...It's right before my eyes, and I can taste it….It's my sweet beginning!” In the hallway, Jonathan and Ryan heaved a heavy bucket out of Ryan’s locker, a sickly sweet smell filling the air. Jonathan smiled wildly. “And I can tell just what you want...You don't want to be alone...And I can't say it's what you know...But you've known it the whole time!” The fast music flooded the gym. Evan’s hips swayed in time to the music, his head nodding, his eyes closed tightly, the music surrounding him. The blue of his guitar glimmered in the bright light. “Maybe next year I'll have no time...To think about the questions to address...Am I the one to try to stop the fire?” Smitty cheered, his arms in the air as he danced. His white suit jacket looked blue in the neon light. 

The song suddenly slowed. 

For just a few beats, all eyes were on Evan. 

_ Free.  _

Tyler brought his drumsticks down hard, quickly joining back into the song. They threw themselves into the last chorus, sweating under the bright lights. “And I can tell just what you want, you don't want to be alone! And I can't say it's what you know...But you've known it the whole time...Yeah, you've known it the whole time…” The last note slowly faded out. The crowd of teenagers cheered. Evan heaved for air, turning to look back at Tyler smiled brightly. Brian suddenly hugged Evan, sweat dripping down his forehead. 

“That was awesome…” Craig smiled. Daithi nodded, a bright smile on his face. 

It was their first show and their last. 

 

The lights flashed. Music flowed through the gym and spilled into the hallways. The dance floor seemed to swarm with teenagers, their fancy, glittering clothes sparkling in the neon light. They sang along to their favourite songs the DJ played, dancing and fooling around with their friends. 

Evan watched from where he stood at the back of the gym, his guitar still hanging around his shoulders. A bright light illuminated the back wall, casting his dark shadow across the wall. Glittering stars dotted the wall around him. Evan leaned his head back against the wall. His dark eyes would flicker between the back entrance and the change room doors. The Tall Man hadn’t arrived yet but Evan was sure it would make an appearance soon. 

It was only a matter of time. 

He tapped his right foot against the floor in time to the music playing. Evan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

“Hey...You alright?” Evan opened his eyes to see Tyler walking up to him. Evan nodded. “Are you sure? You’re back here all by yourself.” Tyler reached for Evan’s hand. 

“I-I know,” Evan said quietly, looking down at his hand in Tyler’s. 

“Come on. It’s prom night. I want to dance.” Tyler smiled. He gently pulled the guitar off Evan, laying it down on one of the cafeteria tables that had been dragged into the gym. The disco ball spun overhead, circles of light spinning around the room. Tyler took Evan’s hand, pulling him into the crowd. Evan glanced around awkwardly, laughing as Tyler began to dance. Tyler spun Evan around, his navy blue suit jacket flaring out as he spun. Evan smiled, forgetting about who might be staring, who might be whispering about them and just danced, his dark eyes on Tyler. From the front entrance, Craig watched them. Craig’s eyes turned away from them, his gaze landing on Sami who stood by the punch table, her soft pink dress sparkling in the light. Craig took a deep breath. 

Nearby, Smitty danced with his friends, his eyes finding Evan and Tyler through the crowd. John suddenly jumped in front of him and all bad feelings were forgotten. Marcel sat alone, watching the change room doors. 

_ Why was it taking so long?  _

Daithi and Brian had found themselves in the crowd, getting lost in the music. They laughed, dancing foolishly, nearly kicking others around them. Evan laughed as Tyler spun him around again before pulling him close, his arm tight around his waist. Evan stared up at Tyler, their scarred palms pressed together. The song slowly came to an end. Tyler’s eyes flickered down to Evan’s lips. His arm around his waist tightened. 

“It’s time to announce our prom king and queen!” A cheery voice suddenly called out, popping the bubble that Evan and Tyler had found themselves in. Evan glanced around nervously, the two boys stepping apart from each other. Standing on the stage was a red-haired girl named Simone from the prom committee that had put everything together, her blue dress glinting in the light. “First up! Our prom queen for this year is…” She made a big deal of opening the folded piece of paper in her hand. “Sami!” A squeal from the other side of the room echoed across the gym as Sami and her friends jumped up and down. She picked up her skirts, hurrying up the steps of the stage where Simone hung the prom queen sash around her shoulder and placed the plastic crown on her head. Sami smiled brightly, her eyes landing on the purple haired boy who clapped for her. “And your prom king is…” Simone looked back down at the paper. “Evan Fong!” Evan’s eyes widened. Tyler laughed, hugging him tightly. 

“I-I...I was nominated?” Evan stuttered. 

“We all saw your name on the list so of course, we voted for you!” Tyler laughed, pushing Evan towards the stage. Nervously, Evan climbed the steps, back on the stage for the second time that night. The girl placed the gold sash over his shoulders before bending down so she could place the crown on his head. He smiled awkwardly at Sami who reached for his hand. He barely knew her, having only taken a gym class with her in grade eleven. 

“There you have it! Your prom king and queen!” Simone said, the crowd applauding for them. Evan's cheeks were red. He could see his friends in the crowd, could see Tyler smiling at him. 

“Hey! Evan!” A cruel voice called out from the catwalks above the stage.

Evan looked up.

His eyes widened. 

A waterfall of thick, red liquid cascaded from the ceiling, spilling all over Evan. Sami screamed, yanking her hand away from Evan’s as the fake blood poured from above. The sickly sweet smell of sugary cherries filled the air. The crowd went silent. Evan’s hands trembled. He stared down at his bloody, trembling hands. The fake blood pooled around Evan’s shoes, turning them a shade of dark pink, his suit and prom king sash covered with blood. 

It oozed down the plastic crown and into his hair. 

It dripped from his hair and down his face. 

He heard people laughing. 

“Get Carrie’d, loser!” Ryan yelled. Evan looked back up, seeing Jonathan smiling down at him. Tears welled up in Evan’s eyes. Kids in the crowd were laughing. He let out a sob as he suddenly ran offstage, stumbling down the steps in the narrow passageway backstage and into the hallway, the smell of sugar and cherries following him. Blood dripped onto the floor. Evan sobbed, falling to his knees on the polished floor. He wanted to go home. He wanted to crawl under his blankets and die there. He pulled the plastic crown from his head, watching it drip fake blood onto the floor as it rolled across the hall, coming to a stop in front of the lockers. 

A flash of red caught his eye. 

He looked up, his eyes landing a girl he’d never seen before standing at the end of the hallway, her long bleach hair held back in braids. She winked at him before disappearing down the hallway. Evan scrambled to his feet, starting down the hallway after her when the gym door suddenly burst open. 

“Evan!” Tyler cried, reaching for him. Evan backed away from him, his eyes on his white suit. “Are you okay?” 

“No!” Evan yelled. “I’m not okay, Tyler!” His shoulders trembled. “They laughed at me...They all did!” Evan cried, tears cutting through the blood on his face. 

“Fuck them! Fuck them all!” Tyler cried. “I didn’t laugh. I'd never laugh at you. None of us would...God! I want to kick Jonathan’s teeth in. I want to fucking kill him!” 

“Don’t say that…” Evan said quietly. “The Tall Man…” 

“Right...You get the point.” Tyler reached for Evan’s bloody hand. “I’m so sorry he stole that moment from you, Evan...You deserved it. You deserve to be prom king... You deserve to be happy.” Tyler said softly. 

Evan stared up at him.

Tyler met his teary gaze. 

Tyler leaned down towards Evan. 

His lips were suddenly on his, blood smearing onto Tyler’s white suit. Evan’s eyes widened. Tyler pulled away. Evan pulled him back, his bloody hands reaching to cup Tyler’s face. Evan leaned back against the lockers, not wanting to break away from the kiss. Evan tasted like sugar. Tyler smiled into the kiss, Evan’s hands smearing the sweet tasting fake blood across his cheeks and neck. Music floated into the hall from the gym. 

_ I’m alright… _

Tyler broke away, tracing kisses down Evan’s jaw to his neck. 

“I love you…” Evan gasped. Tyler smiled, raising his head to kiss Evan again. 

“I love you…” 

 

The change room door creaked open. Craig stepped inside, peering around the dimly lit space. Music echoed through the small room. 

“Evan? Are you in here?” Craig called out nervously.  

“He’s gonna leave if we don’t find him!” Marcel had said urgently after Evan had run from the bloody stage. 

“Find Jonathan too. I’ll make him fucking bloody too.” Brian had snarled before the group split up. 

“Evan?” Craig called out now, stepping further into the changing room. Someone let out a quiet sob from the dark corner of the room. Craig could see someone huddled there. Slowly, he stepped towards them. “Evan?” Craig whispered quietly. “It’s okay. Just some fake blood…” Craig said, seeing that it was a boy in a bloody suit. “It’s not the end of the world...It's not the worst of our problems right now. You’ll be okay.” 

The boy suddenly lifted his head. 

Craig gasped, stumbling backwards. 

The bloody boy let out a wail, his slit neck oozing blood. 

Craig fell back against the wall, the dim light flickering violently as the boy stood, his head nearly falling off his shoulders. 

His eyes were white. 

His limbs seemed too long to be human. 

“S-Scotty…” Craig managed to say, slowly backing away from the bloody boy who let out a wail. Blood splattered onto the floor from the boy's neck. 

Craig screamed. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I've been a bit busy lately. There are only two chapters left of Prom Night! I do have an idea for a sequel and I am writing Prom Night as if it will get said sequel, but it's up to you guys if I write it. Please let me know when the story is finished if you'd like to see a sequel or not. Thank you so much for your support! I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's a bit shorter but still has a lot going on ;)

The scream echoed down the hall, barely audible above the music. 

The neon lights flickered. 

Evan suddenly pulled away from Tyler, turning his head to look down the dark hallway. 

“What was what?” He gasped, his heart racing under Tyler’s gentle touch. Tyler glanced down the hallway. They heard a loud bang followed by another scream. “That’s Craig!” Evan pushed himself off the lockers and started running down the hall, the fake blood flying from his clothes and shoes.

“Evan wait!” Tyler caught up to him, grabbing his arm. His white suit and face had been smeared with blood. “My bat is in my truck. Don’t go in there unarmed!” 

“Go get your bat then,” Evan said, glancing back down the hall. 

“Okay. Stay here.” Tyler forced himself to let go of Evan’s wrist, sprinting back down the hall towards the entrance. Evan ran in the opposite direction, towards the screams. 

He reached the hallway door of the change room, gripping the handle.

He knew that he should wait for Tyler but he threw open the door anyway. The lights flickered violently. 

Evan’s eyes widened, his grip tightening on the door handle.

Craig slowly staggered backwards towards the lockers on the far side of the room, his terrified gaze locked on the Tall Man that wore their dead friend’s face. 

The Tall Man turned to look at Evan with a grotesque smile. 

“Evan…” The Tall Man laughed. “Having a good night, prom king? Did you get to have all the fun that you wanted? Did you get to be free?” The Tall Man's teeth clicked together.

Evan met Craig’s gaze. 

Evan suddenly started towards Craig, reaching for him. 

The Tall Man lunged at Evan, making him scream as he fell back against the lockers. The Tall Man turned as Craig ran towards him. It grabbed Craig and threw him backwards. 

He fell hard, his left arm hitting the edge of one of the benches. 

The sound of bone breaking echoed through the dark room.

Craig screamed in pain. 

“Evan!” The Tall Man wailed with Scotty’s voice. “I just wanted to go to prom too!” 

“I-I…” Evan glanced at Craig who lay on the floor, his right hand clasped around his broken left wrist. Tears streamed from his eyes, his left hand shaking uncontrollably, his nerves shot. 

“It’s your fault!” Scotty’s voice screamed as the Tall Man got closer to Evan. 

He could smell rotting flesh and sulfur on its hot breath. 

He had nowhere to go, trapped against the cold lockers. 

“It’s your fault I’m dead!” 

“I’m sorry!” Evan sobbed, fear leaving him paralysed against the lockers. The Tall Man leaned down, Scotty’s bloody face only inches from his. Craig lifted his head, unable to do anything but watch. “I’ll eat you all up!” There was a crack as the Tall Man’s jaw unhinged, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth.

Evan found himself unable to scream, shrinking back against the lockers. 

The door to the gym suddenly swung open. 

The Tall Man turned, pressing its long-fingered hand against Evan’s bloody face. Marcel and Brian stood in the doorway, terror slowly spreading across their faces.

Marcel stared at the Tall Man, at Scotty’s face and it’s wide smile. 

“Marcel…” Scotty’s voice gasped. 

“Shut up!” Marcel suddenly yelled, stepping into the room. His hands curled into the fists. The Tall Man laughed, sliding its hand down Evan’s bloody face. It stuck it’s long, black, rotting tongue out of its mouth and licked its cherry stained hand. 

Evan felt sick. 

“So sweet…” The Tall Man smiled. Marcel grit his teeth. 

“Shut up you fucker!” 

“I’ll eat you all-” 

“I said shut up!” Marcel raised his hand. A flash of silver caught the light. In his hand was a kitchen knife, stolen from his own kitchen drawer. 

He lunged forward, stabbing it into the Tall Man’s side. 

It shrieked, dark blood splattered onto the floor. 

Brian ran towards Craig, pulling him to his feet. 

They ran for the door across the room while Evan bolted for the door he had come through, stumbling back into the hallway as the lights flickered violently. Marcel pulled the knife from the Tall Man’s side and sprinted after Brian and Craig, leaving the Tall Man shrieking violently.

Evan ran for the stairs without thinking. Every instinct told him to run. 

He had barely reached the top when hands suddenly grabbed his damp lapels, throwing him against the wall. 

“Let go of me!” Evan screamed. 

“I’m not done with you yet.” Jonathan sneered, his upper lip curling. Evan struggled against him. The sweet, fake blood covered Jonathan’s hands. “Look at you, pretty boy. How fucking pathetic!” Jonathan snarled. “Maybe I’ll throw you down the stairs...or maybe-” 

“Jonathan…” A woman’s voice called out from the down the stairs. Jonathan froze, his eyes wide. The lights flickered. “Jonathan…” His head turned to look at the stairwell. Evan followed his gaze, seeing a tall shadow cast on the wall. His chest tightened, his dark gaze flickering back to Jonathan’s pale face. 

“Jon...Don’t say a word…just...just back away from the stairs…” Evan struggled to say. Jonathan’s grip tightened on his lapels. 

“Jonathan…” Heels clicked on the stairs. 

Evan glanced back at the stairs. 

A woman was slowly staggering to the top of the stairs. 

Her flesh was rotting away, her arm bent an unnatural angle.

Evan fought back a scream. 

“M-Mom…” Jonathan gasped. 

Evan glanced down the hallway, knowing that all he had to do to save himself was simply to push Jonathan away and run. 

_ Leave him to die.  _

The dead woman suddenly screamed, charging towards them. Evan grabbed Jonathan’s arm, pulling him down the hallway with him towards one of the classrooms. He pulled him into one of the dark classrooms. Evan dragged the boy over to the teacher’s desk, the two of them diving underneath of it. Evan’s left arm wrapped tightly around Jonathan, the taller boy’s back pressed against his cherry stained chest. “That...That was my mom..what the fuck is going on?” Jonathan gasped before Evan clamped his hand over Jonathan’s mouth. 

“Stop talking. Don’t say a fucking word.” Evan breathed. 

His dark eyes were locked on the thin strip of light that came under the desk. 

Jonathan heaved for air. 

Heels clicked on the polished hallway floor. 

Jonathan stared at the strip of light, his eyes filled with terror. 

“Jonathan…” The soft voice called out. “Jonathan…” Jonathan closed his eyes tightly. Their breaths sounded thunderous in the dark, heavy silence. 

Evan’s arm tightened around Jonathan. 

The footsteps got louder. 

Jonathan let out a quiet whimper. 

Evan stared at the strip of light. 

A shadow blocked out the light. 

The Tall Man smiled as it reached the desk, it’s clawed hands curling around the edge of the desk. Jonathan and Evan stared at the long fingers that gripped the wood.

They held their breath. 

The Tall Man laughed, slowly letting go of the desk. The boys watched its fingers tap a few times against the wood before slowly disappearing out of sight. 

Evan’s eyes flickered back to the strip of light.

The shadow was gone. 

Jonathan started to get up but Evan pulled him back. 

“I don’t think it’s gone…” Evan whispered. 

Evan dared to look away from the light, his dark eyes landing on the clock above the chalkboard. 

_ 11:57.  _

It occurred to him that in less than three minutes, it would be Tyler’s birthday. 

Jonathan suddenly got up, scrambling out from under the desk. 

The back of his blue suit was red. 

“Jon!” Evan grabbed from him but he slipped away. Jonathan got to his feet, running for the door. “Fuck.” Evan got up and ran after him, his prom king sash flapping around him, it’s satin white fabric stained red. He caught up to Jonathan at the end of the hall. He grabbed onto his arm. “Stop!” Evan cried. 

Jonathan turned around to hit him. 

Evan ducked and slapped Jonathan as hard as he could. 

Jonathan stumbled back against the lockers, looking at Evan with wide eyes. He spat blood onto the floor. “Go home. Get Ryan and go home right now. Don’t look back. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t stop for anyone. Go home. Put salt around your bed. And go to sleep.” Evan instructed. Jonathan stared at him. “Go home!” Evan yelled, his voice echoing throughout the hall. Jonathan glanced nervously down the dark hallway then back at Evan, the boy he had tormented for years, the boy who had saved his life. “Go home.” Jonathan nodded. He turned away from Evan, hurrying for the stairs. He didn’t look back. Evan glanced behind him before following Jonathan’s footsteps. The front doors closed as Evan reached the bottom of the stairs. Standing at the other end of the first-floor hallway, his bat in his hand, was Tyler. He had hammered several more nails into the end of his bat turning it into something out of a zombie movie that he and Evan would watch in Evan’s basement when Tyler slept over, safe in their blanket fort. Tyler looked relieved to see Evan. 

The neon lights flickered. 

Tyler's eyes widened. 

“Evan!” Tyler called out. “Behind you!” 

Slowly, Evan turned. Standing on the other side of the door, it’s bloody face pressed against the glass was the clown.

Evan screamed. 

_ 11:59.  _

He broke into a run towards Tyler as the door flew open. 

Glass from the door’s window flew through the air. 

Tyler started to run towards Evan, the nails glinting in the neon purple light. 

The clown’s white eyes met Tyler’s. 

The Tall Man smiled. 

_ 12:00.  _

The clown disappeared into thin air. 

Tyler staggered to a stop. Evan suddenly levitated into the air and was thrown against the lockers. Tyler stared in horror as he picked up again by an invisible force. 

“Evan!” The gym door flew open. 

Music spilt into the hallway. 

Brian ran towards Evan, a hockey stick from the gym’s storage room in his hands. 

He swung the stick at something Tyler could not see. 

Evan dropped to the polished floor. 

Tyler heard an inhuman scream. 

“It’s right there! Tyler what are you doing?” Daithi screamed from where he stood in the entrance to the gym. “Tyler hit it!” 

The clown lunged at Daithi who screamed, stumbling back into the gym. Marcel suddenly ran forward, his knife shining in his hand as he swung at the clown. 

Evan blinked a few times as the hallway spun around him. He slowly rolled onto his back, seeing Tyler standing a few feet away, confusion clouding his face. 

“T-Tyler!” Evan gasped. Tyler’s gaze landed on him. He suddenly stepped forward, pulled from his trance. He reached for Evan. 

“Tyler stop!” Marcel yelled. 

Something hit Tyler, throwing him back down the hallway. The bat rolled across the floor.

Tyler winced in pain, his ears ringing. 

He closed his eyes tightly. 

When Tyler opened his eyes, he was not lying on the polished floor of the high school’s hallway. He stood out front of the local grocery store. The sun was setting, the sky ablaze with oranges, purples and reds. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon. The air felt heavy. Electricity in the air made Tyler’s hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. 

_ A storm is coming.  _

Tyler blinked. He was staring at a telephone pole in front of him, it's wood old and weathered. The wires buzzed above him. 

He was staring at something stapled to the telephone pole. 

A missing person poster. 

A familiar, smiling face stared back at him from the black and white ink. 

Long fingers slowly began to curl around the pole, sharp black nails digging into the paper, into the face of the boy staring back at Tyler. 

A car passed by, the white light of the headlights suddenly blinding Tyler. 

Darkness surrounded him and he found himself back on the floor of the high school’s hallway, struggling to understand what he had just seen. 

Tyler managed to sit up. 

Down the hall, Evan stared at him from where he lay on his stomach on the cold floor. 

Tyler couldn’t see the Tall Man looming over him. 

“Evan!” Brian called out. Evan suddenly rolled in time to avoid the sharp teeth of the Tall Man. Daithi grabbed Evan, pulling him to his feet as the Tall Man laughed, lunging towards them. Brian and Marcel screamed with rage, swinging at the monster with their makeshift weapons. The hockey stick cracked as it was brought down onto the Tall Man’s head.

“Die, motherfucker!” Brian screamed, swinging the stick again at the Tall Man. “Die!” The Tall Man screamed in pain, stumbling back. 

“No fear!” The Tall Man wailed as it seemed to wither against the lockers. “No fear!” 

Tyler watched them hit at nothing, watched as the hockey stick went rigid in the air as Brian hit his target, was the knife in Marcel’s hand seemed to disappear for a moment, stabbed into an invisible monster's flesh. 

Evan was suddenly beside him, pulling him up. Evan grabbed the fallen bat as Marcel and Brian turned, running back into the gym, pulling the door closed behind them. 

“We got to get everyone out now! Someone pull the fire alarm!” Marcel ordered, his voice getting lost in the music. 

“Come on.” Evan stammered as he pulled Tyler towards the change room, the two of them heaving for air.

“A-Are you okay?” Tyler gasped. Evan nodded despite the pain that throbbed from the back of his head. 

“Are you okay? It threw you pretty far…” Evan glanced at Tyler. The image of the poster stapled to the telephone pole flashed through Tyler’s mind. 

“I’m fine…” He lied. 

“You...You can’t see it…The Tall Man...You can’t see it anymore...” Evan said as the heavy door closed behind them. Tyler nodded as he sat down on one of the wooden benches. Their bags and instrument cases littered the floor. “Fuck…” Evan gritted his teeth. 

“I-I’m an adult now.” Tyler laughed. 

“You’re not an adult.” Evan rolled his eyes. He looked down at the heavy bat in his hand, the nails glinting in the light. 

He liked holding it. 

He felt powerful for once. 

Tyler looked Evan over. 

The fake blood on Evan was starting to dry now, his face streaked with red, his suit bloodied, the baseball bat covered with nails held tight in his hand. Tyler bit his lip. Evan met his gaze, a playful smile pulling at his lips. “Does this do it for you?” 

“Shut up.” Tyler’s cheeks felt hot. Evan took a step toward him, his dark eyes locked on the tall, blonde boy. 

The heavy door creaked. 

Evan froze, his head snapping up to look at the door. 

The two boys stared at the door as it slowly began to open, a cold rush of air filling the room. 

Evan let out a small whimper. 

Standing in the doorway was a little boy, his big eyes on the black haired boy. He held Evan’s plastic prom king crown tightly in his small hand.

He was missing his other hand. 

“E-Evan…” 

“Evan, what is it?” Tyler cried, seeing nothing in the doorway. Evan’s grip tightened on the bat. The nails glinted in the dim light, their sharp ends stained red with rust. Tears welled up in his eyes. “Evan!” 

“Evan!” Lui sobbed. Blood dripped over the plastic gems. “Evan! It’s all your fault!” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m kinda sad cause the next chapter (13) is the last chapter of Prom Night!! I love this fic so much. It’s been so much fun to write. Thank you guys so much for your support! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

“Evan! There is someone at the door for you!” His mother’s voice called up the stairs. Evan looked up from his guitar, his dark eyes landing on his door. He glanced at the clock on his desk. 

_ 7:30pm on Christmas Eve.  _

He knew it wasn’t Tyler or the guys for Evan had gone tobogganing with them earlier that day before they all headed home for family dinners, all of them knowing they wouldn't be free to see each other till after Christmas. Evan smiled as he set his pink guitar pick down on the desk, thinking about how he had held onto Tyler tightly as they sledded down the steep hill, snow flying up around them, how he had screamed when the sled went over a bump at the bottom, throwing the two boys in the deep fluffy snow. 

He had also brought his camera along, adding a few new photos of his friends covered in snow after a snowball fight, of Brian making snow angels and Tyler walking through the snowy woods, snow falling softly around him, to his collection. 

Wondering who could be here, Evan set his guitar down and got up. He headed out into the hallway, and down the stairs, the railing decorated with tinsel. In the living room, the large Christmas tree glittered brightly. The mantle was covered with cards sent by relatives and friends. The kitchen was clean, pots and pans drying by the sink. In the morning, it would become a mess again as relatives arrived and they made pancakes for everyone before opening presents.

Evan hoped to get new music books for the guitar but he doubted he would find them under the tree. 

Evan’s gaze turned away from the neat, warm living room to look at the front door. He smiled. 

Lui stood in the doorway, snow sticking to his boots. His puffy jacket had been zipped up tight but his cheeks and the tip of his nose was bright pink from the cold. In his mitten covered hands was a box wrapped up in wrapping paper that had cartoon reindeer on it. The bright green bow on top glinted in the light. Cold air swept in from outside. Lui smiled when he saw Evan. Lui’s mother stood behind him on the porch. 

“He insisted that he bring you your present tonight.” She smiled. 

“You brought me a present?!” Evan cried excitedly as he knelt down in front of Lui who nodded, pushing it into his hands. “Thank you.” Evan smiled. 

“Open it!” Lui said, his big eyes eagerly locked onto the older boy. Evan pulled off the wrapping paper. Inside was an old shoe box. He opened the shoe box to find a small handmade comic book inside. “I made it for you!” Lui smiled brightly. “See there’s me!” He pointed to one of the crayon coloured figures. “And there is you! We’re superheroes who fight monsters together!” Lui explained, a bright smile on his face. Evan smiled. 

“T-Thank you, Lui.” Evan pulled him into a hug. “I love it.” 

As the snow fell, Lui showed Evan his favourite pages in the little book. When it was time for him to go, Evan gave him a candy cane and a gingerbread man before sending him on his way. He watched from the living room window as Lui and his mom walked back down the street towards home. 

That night, Evan read and reread the little comic book, having no idea that come next summer, he would be standing in the change room at school covered in fake blood, a baseball bat riddled with nails in his hand, staring down at a monster who was using the dead boy's voice to hurt him. 

“It’s all your fault!” Lui’s voice echoed through the small room. “You weren’t there! You didn’t save me! We were supposed to fight monsters together!” Evan’s hands trembled. 

“Evan! What is it?” Tyler cried as he stood up, seeing nothing but an empty doorway. 

“L-Lui…” Evan managed to say. 

“Evan...it’s not real. That’s not Lui. Whatever you are seeing, it’s not Lui!” Tyler cried. Evan took a step towards the one-armed, little boy. Tears spilt down his cheeks. “Evan!” 

“Lui...I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t save you. I’m sorry...that we couldn’t fight monsters together. I’m sorry I let you down…” Evan let out a sob. Lui stared up at him with watery eyes. “But Tyler’s right...You’re not Lui...You’re not real.” Evan stood up suddenly. Lui let out a whimper. 

Don’t kill me…

Evan hesitated, his grip on the bat starting to loosen.

"E-Evan..." Lui sobbed. 

Tyler’s hands suddenly curled around the bat, yanking it from Evan’s hands. Evan let out a scream as Tyler swung the bat through the doorway.

Blood splattered onto the floor.

Lui fell to the floor. 

Tyler wrapped his right arm around Evan as he screamed, tears streaming down his bloodied face. Tyler’s left hand held the bat tightly, still ready to protect Evan. 

“It’s not real...It’s not real. I’m real. I’m right here.” Tyler said softly, stroking Evan’s hair. Evan sobbed wildly, holding onto Tyler tightly. Tyler nervously glanced back at the empty hallway.

"I'm sorry!" Evan heaved for air.

“Shh...It's okay. It's not your fault...None of it is..." Tyler said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Evan's forehead. "Don’t be scared. Don’t be scared of it.” Evan suddenly went silent, his fingernails digging into Tyler’s back. Tyler glanced at the empty doorway. “Evan, what is it? What do you see?” Tyler broke away from the embrace, looking down at Evan whose eyes were wide with terror. His hands trembled. “Evan!” 

Lui had slowly sat up, blood dripping to the floor. His legs and arms grew to an inhuman length, his eyes rolling back into his skull. His lips pulled back into a tooth-filled smile. He stuck his rotting tongue out at Evan. 

“Come and play, Evan.” The Tall Man suddenly lunged towards them. Evan screamed, grabbing onto Tyler’s hand as he started towards the gym entrance. 

A sudden piercing ringing alarm sounded.

Marcel had finally found the fire alarm. 

Evan and Tyler burst into the gym as the rest of the students frantically ran towards the exit. Smitty pushed through the crowd, trying to get to Evan as he pushed the heavy door closed, stumbling back into the gym. The neon lights continued to flash, the disco ball continued to spin. 

“Smitty!” John called out. 

“John go!” Smitty yelled back. His friend stared at him as he was shoved around by the crowd. “Go! I'll be okay!” Smitty said again. John hesitated before nodding, turning to follow the crowd. 

“Where is it?” Marcel yelled. 

“I-In...I-In there!” Evan pointed at the change room door. The group of boys quickly gathered together in the centre of the gym, their eyes on the door. 

“W-We don’t have a lot of time before the firefighters show up...Protect Craig.” Evan glanced at Craig who was sitting on the floor at the side of the gym, cradling his broken arm. He was struggling to breathe through the pain. 

“Tyler can’t see the Tall Man.” Daithi pointed out. He too had found a weapon, Brian’s microphone stand. The blunt metal glinted in the neon light. 

“What?” Marcel’s gaze shot over to the tall boy. 

“It’s my birthday.” Was all Tyler could say. “Just tell me where to swing.” 

“Shit...Okay. Okay.” Marcel took a deep breath, his hands gripping the kitchen knife tightly. Brian still held the hockey stick, the end of it starting to crack. Tyler lifted his bat, his eyes on the door. Evan stood behind Tyler, his red-stained hand reaching for Smitty. Daithi’s hands were slick with sweat, his eyes locked on the door. 

They heard a heavy door open and close behind them.

The group spun to face the stage. 

“Oh fuck...Fuck...Fuck!” Brian whimpered. 

“Don’t be scared.” Marcel breathed, his eyes on the stage. “Don’t be scared.” 

The neon lights flashed. 

The fire alarm screamed. 

The group of boys braced themselves as a tall shadow slowly crept across the stage. They watched as the Tall Man crawled on its long arms and legs towards them across the stage as if were a spider, it’s eyeless face smiling at them. 

“Did I miss the show?” The Tall Man laughed. 

“Go to hell.” Brian spat. The Tall Man smiled as it crawled off the stage, dropping to the floor. 

“Hell...Hell...Hell...” The Tall Man slowly rose to its feet. “That’s all there is...Hell…So many demons...one for each of your demons...one for each violent death...Humans have a habit of killing each other...” The Tall Man cocked its head. For a moment, Evan thought it was staring at Tyler. “Blood...delicious blood…” Marcel suddenly let out a scream, running at the Tall Man. His knife glinted in the flashing lights. Brian followed him, the two of them swinging their weapons at the Tall Man who laughed, simply throwing them aside.

It charged towards Evan and Smitty. 

Evan pushed Smitty behind him, bracing for the impact. 

“Tyler!” Daithi screamed, pointing to where the Tall Man was. Tyler swung the bat only to miss by a few inches. The Tall Man cackled, grabbing Evan and throwing him across the gym. Evan crashed to the old wood floor, the neon-lit room spinning around him.

The Tall Man lunged at Smitty who screamed, falling back onto the floor. Tyler took a deep breath, swinging the bat through the air. 

The nails embedded themselves into the back of the Tall Man’s skull. 

Tyler’s eyes widened, seeing nothing but Smitty lying on the floor below him and the bat stuck into something he couldn’t see just above the younger boy.

He feared to think about could have happened if he missed. 

The Tall Man roared in agony. 

It hit at Tyler, sending him flying backwards. Daithi ran forward, yanking the bat from its skull before it stand fully upright. The Tall Man screamed, it’s claws slicing through the hot air towards Daithi. He screamed as they sliced his side open, blood seeping through his suit. He staggered back, nearly falling onto Brain who pulled him away from the Tall Man. 

Smitty rolled onto his stomach and scrambled to his feet. He grabbed a heavy science textbook that had been left forgotten on one of the tables and threw it at the demon as hard as he could.

The Tall Man laughed at him. 

Smitty let out a scream of rage. He felt so furious; he'd kill the devil. 

Tyler picked himself up off the floor in time to see Brian run forward, swinging the stick. It broke in half, the end of it flying through the air and falling to the floor near Tyler. 

Brian stabbed the broken end at the Tall Man who screamed as the stake found it’s target in its back. 

Blood oozed onto the floor. 

“No fear...No fear from any…” It’s eyeless gaze landed on the bloody boy who was slowly sitting up from where he lay on the floor. “Except you…” 

“Evan!” Marcel screamed. Evan forced himself to get up, gripping the edge table beside him so he wouldn't fall over. 

He reached for the first thing he could find that would serve as a weapon. 

His hands curled around the neck of his sparkling blue guitar. 

Evan turned around only to freeze. 

Standing in front of him was almost a mirror image of himself, but instead of a guitar in his hands, golden balloons tied to black strings wrapped around his hands, tight enough to cut off the circulation in his hands.

This nightmarish reflection wore a black velvet suit. 

He smiled at Evan. 

“Trust me...You’ll never be free. You are scared...You always have been and you always will be.” Evan’s darker reflection laughed, his hands turning red as the strings tightened. 

Evan’s arms shook under the weight of his guitar. 

“Evan! Kill it!” Marcel screamed. 

“Kill it!” Smitty cried. 

“Fucking hit it!” Brian yelled. 

“Evan!” Daithi screamed. “It’s not real!” 

Tyler stared at Evan. He knew what he was seeing. 

The boys' angry screams filled the gym. 

"Kill it!" 

Sweat dripped down the back of Evan's neck. 

“What are you waiting for, little boy?” The reflection cocked his head to the side, taunting Evan. “You're a good boy, Evan...You're not gonna kill me...Because you are afraid.” 

Evan suddenly let out a scream of rage. 

He swung the guitar through the air, the heavy blue wood crashing against its head.

Drops of blood flew through the air.

The Tall Man stumbled backwards, the golden balloons popping one by one. 

Evan couldn’t stop screaming, couldn’t stop beating the monster back towards the centre of the gym with the guitar. 

The neon lights flashed. 

Pieces of wood and metal flew through the air.

Strings snapped.

The Tall Man fell to the floor, an inhuman sound escaping its throat as it clawed at the floor, trying to get away from Evan. 

“I’m not scared of you!” Evan screamed, smashing the guitar down onto its head. “I’m not scared of you!” He smashed the guitar down onto it again. 

The neck snapped in half, pieces of the guitar still hanging on by the strings. 

The Tall Man wailed inhumanly. 

Evan stabbed the neck of his broken guitar into the Tall Man’s back. It screamed for only a moment before it began to laugh. 

“Demons...for all your demons…” The Tall Man laughed. The demon suddenly burst into a pool of blood that splattered onto Evan and soaked through the floor.

Evan took a step back, throwing the neck of his guitar down onto the floor. 

“Oh my god…” Brian breathed. 

“Is it...Is it dead?” Smitty gasped as Evan fell to his knees, heaving for air. Evan nodded. Tyler ran towards him, blood soaking into his white suit as he knelt in front of him, pulling him into a tight hug.

The white flower pinned to Evan's lapel had turned a dark pink colour. 

Marcel stared at the pool of blood, the knife dropping from his hand. Craig stared at Evan from where he had crawled under a table, his left arm hanging at an unnatural angle. Daithi sat down on the floor, his eyes wide. 

“You’re seriously gonna have to shower tonight, Evan.” Brian managed to say, making the boys laugh.

Tyler pulled away from the hug, cupping Evan’s face in his hands. 

The neon lights flashed. 

The disco ball spun. 

“Are you okay?” Tyler asked. 

Evan nodded. 

“I’m alright…” 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The last chapter of Prom Night!! I want to thank you guys so much for the support this story got. It's by far my favourite story I've ever done. Shoutout to Rynx for posting those sneak peaks for the I'm Alright video when they were filming it back in May cause otherwise I never would have gotten the idea for this story. Prom Night ended up being a bit of a tribute to that video and the song and I will never be able to watch that video without thinking of this fic lol I don't want this story to end but I am doing a sequel for this story, possibly at the end of this year depending on how long the next story I do takes. I've never been this emotional when finishing a story before so bear with me if this note seems all over the place this story has so much of me in it and just omg...thank you guys again so much for the support. I want to give a huge shout out to my friend @pathetiic-fallacy on tumblr.com for letting me yell about this story irl whenever we met up lol ily <3 I also want to give a huge shout out to @mellowdreemurr also on tumblr for all the support omg please go check out her fic "Colours of Reality" it's super cool omg! And big thank you to @culturalmochi (on tumblr) for the cool art!! <3 Thank you guys so much for the support. I hope you enjoy the chapter <3 <3 <3

“Oh my god, you fucking didn’t!”

“Dude it was so fucking hot today, my eyeballs were sweating.”

“Pretty sure that’s called crying, Mason.”

“Anthony! Where have you been?”

“We should totally go to the lake tomorrow.”

“Did I tell you that I’m going to California for the summer?!”

“You didn’t get accepted? That sucks, I’m sorry.”

“I heard that there was a full on demon in the school on prom night.”

“I heard that the blood Jonathan poured on Evan was real blood! He got it from a butcher shop or something. So gross.”

“I feel bad for Evan. He totally deserved to be prom king. Jonathan ruined it for him.”

“He’s still prom king, blood or not.”

“I would have thought Tyler would have been prom king. What a hunk.”

“Oh my god, shut up.”

“Don’t drink in the pool! Jesus Christ!”

“I got accepted into the school I wanted! I’m freaking out!”

“Hey, can I have some of that?”

“What song is this?”

“Are you ready for graduation?”

“Hey, can I talk to you about something? It happened a couple of days ago...I saw something weird…”

Music played through the speakers in the living room. The kitchen counters were covered with cups and bottles. An orange light illuminated the living room. Teenagers talked in groups in the living room or danced out by the pool, finding relief in the cold blue water from the heat of the late June day.

Sitting on the couch was a purple haired boy, his left arm in a cast that was littered with colourful signatures. Beside him was a blonde boy who sipped from a red solo cup, his eyes on the living room and the people around them.

_No one knows._

“Hows your arm, Craig?” The blonde boy asked.

“Itchy.” Craig sighed. “Are you okay, Brian?”

“I’m fine. Did I tell you that I got a job at the grocery store in town? Tyler said he might apply there too.” Brian said, his eyes on his drink. “I guess you and Evan are gonna start packing up soon.”

“Later this summer...we’re gonna head out at the end of August.”

“We’re gonna miss you guys,” Brian said quietly. Craig awkwardly pulled him into a one-armed hug.

“We’re going to miss you too.”

Smitty suddenly came bouncing out the crowd, John in tow. Craig and Brian smiled at them as they sat down on the couch beside them, their loud voices becoming lost in the music. Across the room, Daithi glanced at them before turning back to Anthony, taking a sip from his drink.

_No one knows._

Outside, an old blue truck pulled up to the house. The driver glanced at the black haired boy sitting beside him, watching him pull off his red and white work shirt to change into a regular white t-shirt.

His torso was still covered in bruises from prom night, from fighting the demon.

“You still smell like cherries, Evan.”

“Shut up.” Evan rolled his eyes. “One hour, then can we go?”

“I guess…”

“You promised, Tyler.” Evan reached for Tyler’s hand.

“One hour.” Tyler smiled, pulling Evan into a kiss. Evan started to pull away but Tyler pulled him back, his fingers threading through Evan’s hair. “I won’t be able to kiss you like this come the fall…” Tyler breathed, breaking away from the kiss to lean his forehead against Evan’s. Evan felt a stone of sadness form in his throat.

“I’ll only be an hour away,” Evan whispered, his fingers caressing Tyler’s jaw. “I’m not going far away.” Evan’s dark eyes met Tyler’s.

“I know…” Tyler sighed. Evan’s mom had been so happy that Evan was going to Boston that she allowed Evan to see Tyler again which he would have done no matter what she said. Tyler, on the other hand, had been disappointed. “Why aren’t you going to California? You could go all the way with the guitar!” Tyler had cried when Evan told him that he was going to Boston.

“I found a reason to stay closer to home.” Was all Evan needed to say. Tyler had stared at him from where he sat behind his drum set. Evan lowered his gaze to Daithi’s guitar that he was borrowing till he’d saved up enough for a new one. Tyler had suddenly gotten up, walking across the garage to Evan. He took the guitar from Evan’s hands, setting it down on the stand before pulling Evan into a kiss. He kissed him with more passion than he ever had before. Tyler picked Evan up, his legs wrapping around his waist as he gently laid him down on the old, ratty couch covered with chip crumbs, it’s threads sticking out at the edges. Evan’s hands found their way under Tyler’s shirt as Tyler trailed kisses down his neck.

Outside, the heat bugs sang.

Now, Tyler gave him one more quick kiss before they got out of the truck, the old blue doors creaking as they slammed shut. They walked up the front steps and headed inside. Music and loud voices greeted them.

They ended up staying a lot longer than an hour, drinking and dancing with their friends long into the night.

Two days later, the group of seniors walked across the stage to get their diplomas. They threw their caps into the air, the brightly coloured tassels spiralling in the warm early summer air. Brian took a photo of Evan and Tyler with Evan’s Polaroid camera, the flash catching them in the middle of a sneaky kiss behind Evan’s cap.

Smitty and Marcel joined them in their celebration at Brian’s house. The group of them were all connected now whether they wanted to be or not. They knew something that no one else ever would. They knew the truth about the shadows that lurk out of the corner of your eye, about what lurks under your bed, about what watches you from the woods.

_No one else knew._

That night, Evan danced in the middle of Brian’s cold basement, the alcohol in his system making his chest warm.

This time, Tyler joined him.

In the early hours of the morning, the two of them headed back to Tyler’s house, giggling as they did their best to silently make their way upstairs to Tyler’s room. Tyler pulled Evan down onto the bed. Evan giggled, pulling the quilt over them.

Evan was the first to wake up the next day, the clock on Tyler’s desk telling him that it was almost one thirty in the afternoon. He smiled, leaning his head against Tyler’s chest. He gently traced a heart on his skin with his finger.

“It’s your fault…” Lui’s voice rang through Evan’s head. He closed his eyes, trying to push the memory away. It wouldn't be long before it came back again. When he slept in Tyler’s bed he didn’t have nightmares but alone, he would often wake up sweating, a scream caught in his throat. Evan glanced up at Tyler who still slept soundly, the warm afternoon sunlight turning his blonde hair a golden shade.

Evan wondered if he had nightmares too.

Summer passed in a warm haze, the memories of the weeks leading up to prom and that bloody night slowly beginning to fade away for most of them. Smitty started to spend more time with John and the other boys, the group of soon to be grade ten boys riding their bikes through the quiet suburban streets or swimming at the lake. Brian worked most days, spending his time stocking shelves. He needed the money if he was going to go anywhere. Daithi started working for his parents at their little corner store, selling slushies and candy bars. Craig started packing early for school, his room slowly becoming emptier and emptier as the pile of boxes grew and grew. Tyler spent as much time as he could with Evan, not wanting to let him go just yet. Some days, however, he helped his mom with errands or work and on those days, Evan could be found in the library among the tall shelves of books, looking for anything that might tell him more about the Tall Man, about anything that he had seen.

_It’s all your fault…._

He would gather a stack of books, sitting down on the old carpeted floor and flipped through the pages, finding only bits and pieces of information that he wrote down in his notebook. Frustrated when he could find no clear answers, he would scratch out his notes and put the books back, going home just as confused and guilty as he had been before.

_It’s all your fault…_

He needed answers.

One day in the middle of August, Tyler and Evan went for a drive out of town. The wind swept through the open window, playing with Evan’s black hair. Lush green woods and fields stretched the horizon. They would occasionally pass old farmhouses, their dark windows watching the blue truck pass by. Tyler turned off onto a dirt road, eventually coming to the edge of a river lined with trees.

They swam in the cold river for a little bit, the lazy current allowing them to float a little ways down before getting out, walking back to the truck where they threw down warm blankets and pillows onto the truck bed, the two of them climbing into the back. The warm sunlight filtered through the leaves. Evan laid his head against Tyler’s chest, his eyes on the green leaves above him and the sky beyond. Tyler took a sip of his beer. Birds sang in the trees.

“Tyler...Can I ask you something?” Evan breathed.

“Hmm?”

“Do...Do you think there are more things...or monsters...out there like the Tall Man?” Evan asked, looking up at Tyler. The blonde boy was quiet for a few moments. The warm wind rustled the trees.

“I think there are monsters everywhere...Some like the Tall Man...some that look like you and me...Human. I hope there aren’t more monsters like the Tall Man.” Tyler laughed, taking another sip from his beer. Evan blinked. It wasn’t the answer he was looking for.

“Demons...for all your demons…” The Tall Man had gasped before bursting into blood. A wave of nausea rolled over Evan as he thought about that memory.

“Evan...That isn’t still bothering you, is it?” Tyler asked, his voice now filled with concern.

“It’s not.” Evan lied. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m going to worry.”

“I know…” Evan smiled, sitting up to kiss Tyler’s cheek. “I’m alright. I promise.”

“Okay…” Tyler sighed, still not believing him. Evan laid his head back down on Tyler’s chest, closing his eyes. Sleep slowly crept up on him.

He hadn’t slept well the night before.

As Evan fell asleep, Tyler gently stroked his hair, his eyes on the woods around the truck. He worried about what would happen if Evan went off to school still thinking about the Tall Man and demons.

Later that night, he called Craig and made him promise that he’d keep an eye on Evan.

As September neared, Evan began to pack up his room too. He filled boxes with his books and clothes. He took down some of the things on his walls that he wanted to bring with him. He took his cherry stained prom king sash off the wall and tucked it into one of the boxes. He’d hang it off his bed in his new dorm room.

He had never been able to find the plastic crown.

Sitting down on the floor by his bed, he pulled out his box of photos. He smiled as he sorted them all. There was one of the band dressed up as ghosts for Halloween last year and one of Tyler walking through the snowy woods from last Christmas and many of them partying, the room hazy, their faces flushed. There were photos of the boys all throughout high school, moments frozen forever in the photos. Evan reached into the box for another pile of photographs.

His smile fell.

The first photo on the pile was the one of Craig standing in the rainy woods and by the edge of the frame, the ghost of Lui. Evan quickly put the photos back into the box, putting the lid back on top. Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. He couldn’t stop them from falling as he began to sob. He fell over onto his side, his tears falling onto the rug. He cried for what felt like hours, the sky slowly darkening outside.

The last few weeks of August were a blur.

Evan picked his classes, went for a campus tour, finished packing, and did his last shift at the diner. Before he knew it, he and Craig loading their boxes up into Evan’s dad’s car. Evan felt like crying the whole morning. Once they were finished loading up the car, they went over to Tyler’s to say goodbye. The garage door was open. Tyler, Marcel, Smitty, Daithi and Brian were all there. They smiled brightly as the two boys walked up the driveway. Tyler pulled Evan into a hug.

“I don’t want you to go.” Tyler breathed.

“I’m only an hour away…” Evan said quietly.

He didn’t want to go either.

He pulled away from the hug, his eyes landing on Smitty who was holding a new guitar case tied with a white ribbon. Smitty smiled, holding the case out to Evan. “W-What is this?” Evan stammered, slowly taking the case.

“We all chipped in. We kinda owe it to you since you were the one who...killed that thing.” Brian explained. Evan’s eyes widened. He pulled the ribbon off as he sat down on the old couch beside Smitty. He opened the case. His eyes welled up with tears. Inside was a white coloured guitar, almost identical to the blue one Evan used to have.

“Do you like it?” Tyler smiled.

“We couldn’t find a blue one...Sorry.” Craig said as Evan took the guitar out of the case.

“I love it…” Evan breathed. “Thank you…”

“Don’t smash this one, okay?” Daithi laughed.

“It was effective though, you gotta admit." Marcel laughed. Evan looked up at Tyler who smiled brightly back at him.

“We should play at least one song before we go,” Craig said.

“Can we?” Evan asked.

“Okay.” Tyler nodded, glancing at Daithi and Brian who smiled. They quickly got their instruments ready and plugged in. Smitty and Marcel watched as they played, music spilling from the garage and onto the quiet street. Evan’s fingers flew across the strings of his new guitar, the white wood glowing in the warm sunlight. He turned, looking back at Tyler with a smile.

He felt free.

 

Neon lights flashed.

The disco ball spun.

The stage was empty save for the guitars on their stands and the drums, waiting to be played.

Music played from the speakers but it sounded as if it were being played underwater; far away.

The gym was empty.

Evan slowly took a step towards the stage, his white shoes silent on the wood floor. Over his navy blue suit was his prom king sash, the bright gold words on the white satin glinting in the neon light. On his head was the plastic prom king crown.

He stared at the stage.

A shadow moved among the curtains just off stage.

He took another step forward.

A branch broke under his white shoe.

He looked down.

The wood floor had been replaced with dirt and dead leaves. He slowly raised his dark gaze.

Trees stood among the tables.

Neon light flashed through the tall trees.

Slowly, Evan turned around to find himself now standing in a dark forest, a flashlight held tight in his hand.

He started walking deeper into the woods.

A part of him knew exactly where he was going.

Branches pulled at his prom king sash.

He suddenly came to a stop.

Yellow police tape hung loosely around a ring of trees.

His flashlight began to flicker.

“Evan.” A sharp voice snarled.

Evan turned around suddenly.

A scream built up in his chest.

Something dark flew at him.

He couldn’t stop it.

The dirt littered with dead leaves rushed up to meet him.

Evan’s eyes flew open as he gasped violently.

He sat up, heaving for air. It took him a moment to realise that he was in his dorm room.

Hanging from his bedpost was the cherry stained prom king sash.

His eyes lifted to the corner of the room.

Evan’s fingers curled into fists around the blanket.

Across the room, Craig rolled over, woken up by Evan’s loud gasp.

“A-Are you okay?” Craig mumbled in the dark. Evan tore his gaze away from the corner to look at Craig.

“Yeah…” Evan managed to say. His eyes turned back to the corner of the room where he was certain that just a few moments ago, something had been standing there, staring at him. “I’m alright…”

 

 

 

END?


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